Protector
by Lukeprism
Summary: AU. Claus and Lucas are twins living alone in the industrialized Tazmily. When Claus discovers his PSI, he's thrown into the middle of an all out war with an enigmatic, terrorist-like group of people. Will the Pigmask Army be able to overcome these guys? Claus/Lucas. Installment XXI—Upgrade
1. I In the Beginning

_**A/N: [Revamped 01.25.12]**_

WARNINGS: Violence (later chapters), cursing, a few minor characters created to help move the plot along, and of course, minor (...emphasis on the minor) twincest.

First off, down to business. This story is set in an alternate universe, and while I tried to stay as close to home with personalities as I possibly could, there are going to be some OOC instances. Sorry, but that's just how I write (and it's AU, so the personalities are probably gonna differ anyway, right?). Tazmily is very advanced (y'know, compared to in-game Tazmily), and has a population of about 1,500.

Without further interruption, here's the beginning!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Mother series, that Itoi guy does.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

The sun was shining benevolently down on a small village inhabiting the Nowhere Islands. Birds were chirping, the grass seemed to be dancing to the rhythm of the wind, the air was warm, and all was peaceful.

The town, called Tazmily by its citizens, was bustling with people, who were out shopping and working, with your average middle-aged women gossiping up a storm in the background at the town's quaint little square. On the eastern side of said square was a general store teeming with customers, which was quite distressing to the only two teens present for work, a light brown-haired boy named Nichol and a fiery red-haired boy named Claus. The two were having a difficult time handling so many customers all at once, some of which were getting impatient.

"I asked for a pound of oranges five minutes ago, and where are they?" A very muscular man glared down at Nichol, who was taking care of a man who had come earlier.

"I'll get to that as soon as I can, sir…" Nichol replied, a bit nervously. As he continued taking care of the customer rightly before him, the muscular man hit the counter loudly with a fist, causing Nichol, his customer and a few others near them to jump.

"Seriously? Good God. How long does it take to bag some oranges, fifteen seconds?" The man snorted self-righteously, earning himself disapproving murmurs from the on-looking patrons when he began tapping his foot impatiently.

"Order up!" A loud, mischievous voice called from behind the counter. Everyone became quiet and turned to see a bag of oranges fly over the counter, straight at the muscular man's face. Disappointingly, the muscular man just barely caught the bag before it smacked him justly in the kisser and glared poison daggers at the teen who had thrown it.

"There's your order, pal. Now, that'll be 500 DP." Claus gave the man an evil smirk, casually walking up from behind the counter. There were scattered chuckles and giggles as everyone's eyes followed the man's every move as he sidled up to pay, all the while wearing an expression that could probably have killed if it were a weapon. When he slunk out the door afterwards, muttering a colorful string of profanities as he gripped his bag of oranges tighter than was necessary, everyone burst into hysterical laughter.

"Way to show 'im, kid!" A tall man took Claus' hand into his own to shake it. There were shouts of agreement coming from behind him, and Claus could only laugh and shake back.

"Just doing my job, sir, just doing my job!"

_-asdfjkl;-_

It was about one o'clock when Nichol and Claus had few enough customers to take a break. Another teen, Cathrine, who had long black hair and braces, had shown up at noon to help out, so Claus decided to take this time as his break. Grabbing two brown paper bags he had prepared a few minutes prior, he headed out the door with a wave to Nichol, signaling his break time.

The square was still crowded, and he could hear a booming voice talking, every once in awhile followed by mindless cheers and whistles. Ignoring it, Claus wove his way through shoppers and gossipers alike and stopped at a pretty porcelain fountain that sat in the middle of the square, the water that shot out of its intricate tip sparkling in the sunshine. He took a golden coin out of his pocket and held it in his hand tightly while his eyes were closed, as if pouring every ounce of his soul and hope into it. After a minute of this, he opened his eyes, flipped the coin into the fountain with his thumb, and continued into the building opposite the shop in the square, which had a slightly worn looking sign with the words 'Tazmily Library' printed on it hanging above the entrance.

Upon entry, he noticed the absence of people sitting and reading, or standing in line to check books out. That was a first for Claus, as every time he had been there, there were always at least a couple of people (at least, every time he'd come here on break there had been, and he'd been here for break everyday he'd worked for a year now). Disregarding it, he walked over to the head librarian's desk, where an old man named Wess was sitting. His wrinkles curled in time with his smile when he noticed Claus standing there, and rising from his desk, he greeted the teen warmly.

"Hey there, Claus," he laughed heartily. "Kinda empty, isn't it?" he gestured to the empty library, and Claus just nodded in agreement. "Well, one of our guests had mentioned something about a pep rally. Sponsored by King P and everything, y'know?" Wess chattered animatedly, picking up a pile of books and heading to the classic literature section, though one couldn't miss the frown he wore in regards to the subject of conversation. "Anyway, Lucas is in the back; he's helping me reorganize the sections," he said as he wandered off, fully aware of why Claus was there.

"Alright, thanks," Claus offered in reply absent-mindedly, a bit irritated by the mention of yet another 'pep rally'. The man who sponsored all of it, a man everyone knew as King P, who lived in the city up north called New Pork, was surprisingly never even at any of these pep rallies. Instead, Fassad, a very enthusiastic man (too enthusiastic, if you asked Claus...not that he had ever really seen him in person), had taken it upon himself to host these pep rallies around three years ago. They used to be a much rarer occasion, only happening a few times a year, but lately there had been pep rallies at least once a week as Fassad kept trying to sell more of his stupid 'Happy Boxes' and keep everyone content with King P's little monarchy and their policies.

Sighing a bit rebelliously, Claus just headed over to the section entitled 'Fiction' with the nameplate hanging above it in the back of the library. He spotted a boy his own age standing on a ladder, placing books on a high shelf in some kind of apparently uniform order. A roll of what looked to be white stickers stuck out of the back pocket of his denim shorts, waving around as he stretched to and fro in successful attempts to replace these books. It took a minute for the blonde boy to notice Claus, but when he did he smiled brightly.

"Hey, Claus," he called softly, putting the book currently in his hands away and climbing down the ladder. Claus met him at the bottom, smiling himself.

"Hello there," Claus chuckled in response and nodded toward his left hand, which held one of the brown paper sacks he had brought along with him. "Your lunch, good sir," he said in a mock-gentlemanly accent, bowing low to the other teen. Lucas just giggled at him.

"Thank you," Lucas took the bag gratefully, his cerulean eyes locking with Claus' jade orbs for a moment as the latter looked up with a boyish grin. He peered inside the bag curiously. "Ooh, a ham sandwich and an apple! You're the best, Claus!" Lucas laughed and pulled him into a one-armed brohug, which Claus returned with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, I wish I could stay," Claus pulled away a bit reluctantly. "But I can't. Apparently because of that stupid gathering that's going on, I only get a ten minute break. It's because of so many people about to come in for lunch when it ends, I guess," he sighed, resenting the fact that he couldn't stay and eat lunch with his twin.

However, Lucas just smiled and placed his hands on Claus's shoulders. "Then you'd better get going, or you'll be late. Don't wanna get fired again, do you?" the younger twin grinned, though that didn't stop Claus from recognizing the worry behind it.

He placed his hand on Lucas' reassuringly. "As if. They can't fire me, the customers love me too much," he said in a mock-pompous way, earning himself a laugh from the blonde. While he was distracted, Lucas took the opportunity to start pushing the redhead toward the door, much to Claus' surprise.

"Let's not take our chances, eh?" Lucas said, still chuckling. For the first time in awhile, Claus took on a genuine, serene smile. He really did enjoy his twin's company. It was like Lucas' presence could make all his worries drift away effortlessly. He only wished that he made Lucas feel that way too; hopefully that was indeed the case. Before he could even finish this train of thought, though, the duo had reached the library's exit. Claus turned back around to face his twin, who was smiling softly.

"Well, see you at home then," Claus said, a bit awkwardly. It was always weird saying that when their home scarcely felt like a home anymore, and it hadn't for years. Lucas didn't seem to notice Claus's hesitation.

"Yup, see you." He gave a small wave before going back inside to finish his book organizing. Claus just stood there for a minute, rendered speechless at the emotion that had overcome him the moment Lucas had waved, that seemingly naïve and tranquil smile on his face.

_Wait, waitwaitwait. Did I seriously just use the word adorable to describe my brother?_ Claus thought, bewildered by his own mind. But it wasn't really a lie; Lucas _was_ cute, for a guy. But did brothers normally think about each other like that? He continued to stand there, mentally facepalming for even putting that much thought into it, before some shouting coming from a little ways away threw him from his train of thought.

"Claus! Oh, _Claus_!" Cathrine, the girl who had temporarily taken his place, was calling frantically from behind a hunger-crazed crowd of mindless followers (Claus' pet name for the people who went to Fassad's pep rallies). There were people shoving and pushing to get into the shop, and she was doing her best to avoid their stomping her into the dust. "C'mon, Claus—Nichol's dying in there!"

Claus groaned before hurrying after her, not looking forward to the crowd he was about to have to deal with.

_-asdfjkl;-_

The sun had already dipped below the horizon, splattering the sky with intricate shades of orange and pink. Nichol, Claus and Cathrine were absolutely exhausted after the afternoon they'd had. So much pushing, shoving and bickering that had nearly turned into all-out brawls, and the fact that they'd had to run all over the shop non-stop the whole time had really taken its toll. Nevertheless, the trio laughed together like the fast friends they were as they gathered their things up and prepared to head home for the night.

"…Claus," A gruff voice stopped the teen in his tracks before he could get out the door. Nichol and Cathrine looked back and realized what was going on, mumbling their goodbyes and hurrying off. Claus gave them a small nod before turning around to meet the gaze of the store's owner, Isaac. His eyes were cold and menacing, which made Claus begin to worry. What could Isaac want with him when his shift was over?

"Hello there, Isaac," Claus said, hoping to keep this chat as light-hearted as possible. "Lovely weather, isn't it?" he continued lamely, hoping to get a laugh out of his superior. What he got was a disapproving shake of the head and Isaac's arm pulling him back over the threshold of the shop.

"I got word of a complaint today, you know," Isaac started, looking at Claus with one of those you're-not-going-to-like-what-I-have-to-say looks. Claus was honestly confused when he responded.

"What?"

"Complaint. From a man who was in the shop today. Big, muscular man." Claus was nearly knocked over by the sudden wave of realization as it washed over him. "He said something about 'a kid with fiery red hair throwing a bag of oranges at his face'." He looked at Claus, who's eyes sparkled with mirth at the memory. "Know anything about it?"

Claus just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "He was being a complete ass to Nichol, so I just served him some justice along with his oranges." He reasoned, seeing no point in the conversation. "He got his oranges, anyway. What does it matter?"

Isaac just sighed. "I don't think you understand, Claus. We cannot have employees that disrespect our customers like that. It's not mature, it's not safe and it's bad for the shop's reputation," he concluded, turning to directly face Claus, who had begun to realize where this conversation was going.

"Mr. Isaac—"

"I'm sorry, Claus. You're fired."

His words hit Claus like a wall of bricks. Surely Isaac couldn't be serious? He reached out and snagged the man's arm, preventing him from walking out of the shop like he'd meant to. Cold brown eyes met wide jade ones as their gazes locked, staring at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"F-_fired_? For throwing oranges and not even injuring the guy?" Claus managed to say, his voice shaking in still somewhat controlled anger and fear. His voice wasn't the only thing shaking, however; his whole body was quivering. Getting fired right now, of all times, was not an option.

Isaac just sighed. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Remember the time one of your customers was being picky about the sandwich you made him, and he ended up in the hospital because you'd thrown a pickle into his eye and he'd had an anaphylactic reaction?" Claus grimaced at the memory. The man had been very irritating, acting like he was some kind of superstar who deserved special treatment. How was he supposed to have known the man was severely allergic to pickles? "He also threatened to sue, Claus." Isaac stated, his face completely serious. Claus's expression turned livid.

"S-_sue_?" For throwing a non-lethal bag of _oranges_, for God's sake? Claus' voice had cracked on the word, making him even angrier. He couldn't believe that you could even do something so ridiculous. Isaac had explained what 'suing' meant when he'd first started to work here about a year ago. He didn't know much about it, but he knew enough to know that you had to have bodily harm happen to yourself or someone else to do so. "You're joking," Claus concluded with an aggravated huff. The ghost of a smile appeared on Isaac's face and Claus narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, I was joking about the suing part," he admitted, not looking sorry for momentarily scaring Claus out of his mind. "But I wasn't joking about the 'you're fired' part." The iciness returned to his expression in a flash. Claus just stared at him helplessly as he turned around. "We can't have things like this tarnishing our reputation. We do have standards, after all." He opened the door to step out.

For the first time in years, Claus felt scared. He couldn't afford to get himself fired right now, as none of the other places in town were hiring. He and Lucas had been living by themselves for three years, ever since their mother and father had died along with several others in a freak accident over at the power plant they'd worked at. He could still remember how hungry and sad and _exhausted_ he'd felt, trying to take care of himself and Lucas when no one had bothered to help them. He'd gotten his first job at the tender age of twelve, washing dishes and taking out the trash for very low wage at the local diner everyone loved.

Since then, he had worked at least two jobs on top of taking care of their sheep, whose wool they used to have to sell for money, while Lucas had taken care of all the chores around the house, including paying the bills and managing their money. When they were fourteen, Lucas had gotten his job as a library assistant, and while it didn't bring in too much money, it enabled the red-haired boy to quit his second job working as a manual laborer for Lighter's housing and fencing company to work full-time at the shop.

Their lives had been a lot smoother ever since, and Claus didn't want to go back to the way things had been, especially if it meant Lucas had to obtain a second job. If Lucas had to go through what he'd had to because of his own stupid ass getting fired, Claus wouldn't be able to bear it.

Isaac stopped cold when a hand gently gripped his arm, shaking with anxiety and grief. Turning slightly so that he could see the boy who was responsible, his heart about fell through the floor when his gaze locked with the younger's. His face looked much older than fifteen with the light shadows under his eyes and minute wrinkles defining his hopeless frown. Isaac's slowly warming doe eyes were intimidated by Claus' melancholy jade orbs. His voice was even as he made on final attempt at appealing to Isaac's good side.

"I need this job, Isaac," he began, managing to keep his tone level. "We can't even afford to pay the bills if I don't get this week's pay, not to mention food…" he trailed off slowly, pensive. It wasn't just his hunger he was worried about, and Isaac could see that. "I'll do my absolute best at restraining myself from now on, you have my word. Just…please," Claus pleaded, his eyes threatening to overflow as he continued to stare at Isaac, doing his best to convey the determination he had to keep his job. "Please give me one last chance."

Their gazes stayed locked for what felt like hours, Claus' trying to fight back his raging emotions and Isaac's hiding the fact that his conscience and heart were playing tug-of-war with his brain.

Finally, Isaac just sighed in exasperation. He continued where he'd left off, walking away from the shop and the boy who still stood in the doorway, grunting his words so softly Claus had to strain his ears to hear them.

"Only for you, kid. Only for you."

_-asdfjkl;-_

Claus let out a worn out sigh from his spot on the couch, lying so that his head was on one armrest and the rest of his body spanned out from there. He was getting worried now, as it was ten o'clock at night and his golden-headed twin was still nowhere to be seen. It was true, Lucas could be pretty late sometimes, but he was never any later than perhaps nine thirty. And knowing his lovable-yet-sometimes-too-trusting brother, he could be in quite a bit of trouble if he ran into someone who was looking for it.

It was rather funny. No one would have worried about something like this a few years ago. Back then, everyone in Tazmily was kind and good hearted. Hell, nothing like money even existed up until about five years prior, when the mayor had thought it to be wise to set up a system where people would get paid with something of value, like DP, and be able to exchange it for goods and services based on how hard you worked. And while it was a good idea, Claus just didn't see the long-term point in it. Everything had been fine beforehand; why change a system that already worked?

After that, Tazmily had expanded rapidly. Loads of people had come from some land far across the sea and settled in Tazmily temporarily to get used to the new land and people. That was the main reason New Pork City was built; to harbor all the new people coming to inhabit the island. Tazmily's population still swelled dramatically, going from about 200 people to 1,000 in under a year. But the majority of the people had gone on to New Pork, leaving Tazmily to itself for the most part.

That was when the name 'King P' was first introduced. Since Tazmily was an 'underdeveloped land', this man had decided to take it upon himself to form a sort of monarchy with himself as the king. He claimed to be whole heartedly for the people, and all of Tazmily immediately fell in love with the idea of a caring ruler. There was only one strange thing about the whole thing: no one has ever seen the infamous King P, even to this day.

Claus' train of thought was interrupted, however, when the front door of the house creaked open to reveal the missing blonde brother of his standing there, noticeably happy. As soon as Claus registered the fact that he was really there in his admittedly half-frazzled mind, he shot up from the couch and to the kitchen where Lucas had already put his things away and begun to prepare their dinner. He started with the first question that popped into his head:

"Where have you been? It's ten past ten already!"

The addressed blonde just chuckled softly. "I got a little held up at work, sorry. Oh, and I also met up with Fuel on the way back," he said as he reached into their refrigerator and took out a handful of eggs. Claus was slightly surprised by that statement; they hardly ever saw Fuel anymore. Although he was their childhood friend, he'd started to work with his father as a carpenter a couple years back, and as a result didn't have much time to spend with friends.

"We just stood there talking for awhile, and before I knew it, it was really dark out," Lucas continued, pre-heating a pan and gathering the spices he would need to make them some omelets. "Sorry if I made you worry," he said, glancing up at Claus for a moment innocently.

Claus' cheeks turned a light shade of pink when he narrowed his eyebrows and replied, "Well, of course I was worried. Who wouldn't have been?" The teen paused for a minute before adding with a mischievous smirk, "Besides, I need you around to cook dinner."

It was Claus's turn to chuckle as his younger twin's face turned pink at the statement, and turned to glare at Claus with an amused look of disapproval. Cracking the eggs and mixing them with various spices, he mixed them all up in a small bowl before he poured said mixture into the pan, which sizzled in response.

They both stood there in silence, and every once in awhile Claus would nudge Lucas playfully between the ribs, causing the boy to gasp and nudge back even harder when the elder twin giggled at him. Once the omelets were done, Lucas grabbed two plates and gave them each a healthy portion. As he placed them on the tables, he addressed Claus in an excited tone.

"Guess what happened to me at work today?"

Claus was a little surprised by a statement like that out of the blue, but he humored the blonde nonetheless. "I dunno, what?" he replied curiously.

Lucas turned to face him directly. The fair-haired boy was a couple inches shorter than Claus, requiring him to look up at him a bit so that they could chat seriously. He appeared quite excited; you could see him bobbing up and down in anticipation. "I got a raise today!" he exclaimed profusely.

Claus's expression went from shocked to pleased in about two-tenths of a second. "Seriously?" he asked, though he quite honestly doubted the blonde would lie about something like this. Lucas just nodded, smiling brightly.

"Uh-huh! Now I'm making 45 DP an hour instead of just 35!" he continued, that innocent grin still plastered to his face. Claus thought it was adorable (again with that word...). The way he smiled was admirable and honest; the grin would go all the way up to his shining blue eyes, which also conveyed the joy he was feeling. And it was about time the boy got a raise! I mean, if anyone deserved one, it was Lucas. He sometimes stayed for hours after the paid workday ended just to get things done. He was hard-working, smart, talented, responsible, funny, cute…wait, hold on.

What was that soft, warm thing Claus had his lips pressed against?

Coming down from his train of thought, Claus realized with a jolt that it was Lucas' lips that his were pressed against. Against his better judgment, Claus let his lips remain where they were (for lack of a better idea) and closely examined Lucas' expression. His blue eyes were wide, and he wasn't kissing (though kissing is a bit of an overstatement; there was barely any pressure at all) back. _Then again, he isn't pulling away either…wait, what? No! Of course he isn't, he's too shocked to move!_ Mentally screaming, he pulled away, quickly turning away from Lucas so he wouldn't have to deal with his no doubt shocked, disgusted expression. What the hell was coming over him, all of a sudden?

"T-that's great, Lucas. I'm really happy for you," Claus said lamely. He had no idea what else he could really say at the moment—"Oh sorry, man, guess my lips just kinda fell onto yours on accident...no homo," just didn't seem like it'd cut it—so he merely excused himself altogether. "I'm really tired, so I'm g-gonna to hit the hay. G'night," he said as evenly and as quickly as he could as he practically sprinted to and up the stairs to escape his younger twin's presence.

Claus didn't see Lucas' confused expression turn into a thoughtful one when he slammed the bedroom door shut behind him.

Throwing himself onto the bed, Claus mentally kicked himself over and over again. How could he do something so...morally wrong? Lucas was his twin brother, for God's sake! _You're not supposed to go around kissing your brother like that! Thinking he's cute is all well and good, but not like this!_ His mind went back to the moment his lips had left Lucas', his hot breath sending chills down Claus' spine. Yes, he was well aware of how wrong it was, but…Claus had never experienced anything that felt better.

Convinced that his brain was just overworked and that he'd forget the sudden infatuation toward his blonde twin with a good night's sleep, Claus did his best to reassure himself that he wasn't going incestually crazy until he fell asleep, still able to feel Lucas' lips on his own.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Y'know, the kiss and ending scene still feels awkward to me. I mean, it's kinda supposed to, since they're brothers and this is new, scary territory they're treading into with that kiss and the thoughts that come after, but...I dunno.**_

Keeping the original A/N intact is kind of impossible since it no longer applies, haha. But I will keep from sayin' my trademark line.

_**[**__**Reviews, please. I really do need them, more than you know. They don't even have to be long or anything! The button is right there…and I even accept anonymous reviews. You have no excuse not to now!**_

See you next chapter. C:_**]**__****_


	2. II Fever

_**A/N: [Revamped 01.25.12] **_

_**Original A/N is, again, no longer applicable, but it had something to do with beating me over the head with a fish because I took so long to update (some things never change...).**_

DISCLAIMER: Mother = Itoi's, not mine.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

The sun was high in the sky, shining through a window and illuminating a blanketed figure that was currently snoring shallowly into his white pillow. A few strands of red lay splayed out as the boy turned in his sleep, frowning deeply. Damn sunlight, refusing to let him sleep. Opening his eyes slowly because he knew he'd best get up before he oversleep, he sat up groggily.

The first thing he registered was the heat.

His head was so hot that Claus has momentarily thought there was some kind of fire up on his noggin at first. After that came equally the unpleasant throbbing and aching sensation his forehead was subjected to. It was like a hangover, just with less stomach queasiness and more feverish heat. Not that Claus _knew_ what a hangover was like.

He raised a shaky hand to his forehead, wincing as his fingers came in contact with his skin, which burned ceaselessly. Groaning loudly, he turned his head to look at the nightstand sitting beside his bed. Eleven twenty-seven? Good lord! Claus seldom slept past nine o'clock or so on his days off; he'd always thought of it as a waste of daylight that he could be using for something more resourceful. Maybe that had something to do with why he was so tired all the time…

The red-haired teen feebly attempted to stand up and get some decent clothes on. He had to latch himself onto the nightstand next to his bed to stabilize himself for a few seconds, his balance feeling a bit off. His vision started to blur as he forced himself forward, toward the dresser he shared with his twin. Pausing for a moment when he got there to let his vision fix itself gradually, he finally came to notice that said twin was not present. Ah, of course; it was Sunday, after all. Lucas always worked on Sundays, while Claus almost always had them off.

Realizing that this meant no breakfast ready and made for him, Claus let out a frustrated moan and proceeded to grumpily rummage through his drawers to find some clothing he could wear out to town. Of course, he wasn't in any condition to go out, but he was downright ravenous after a scarce lunch and no dinner the night before (though the latter was his fault and his fault only), and Lucas had used the last of what they'd had in the house food-wise for dinner last night. Stripping as quickly as his unwelcome fever would allow, Claus pulled on some clean underwear, khaki cargo shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Spending a whopping three-tenths of a second on his hair, he opened the bedroom door and made his way down the stairs to the counter nearest the front door.

He opened the drawer at the top of this counter and ran his hand through it roughly until he had found what it was he was looking for: a simple brown leather wallet. He glanced through it, discovering that he had just enough DP on-hand for some bagels from the shop. Pocketing the wallet, he plucked the spare house key out of the drawer before closing it back and exiting the house, remembering to lock the door behind him.

_-asdfjkl;-_

After nearly twenty minutes of walking, pausing, whiting out for a few seconds and hearing his stomach growl fiercely at him, Claus had made it into the town square with little to no personal injury. He noticed that it wasn't nearly as crowded today as it had been yesterday; Thank God. Claus was in no mood to deal with chatty women and boorish men today; he just wanted his bagels and an uneventful walk back home.

Entering the shop, he headed straight to the bread section. He debated on whether to not to get a whole package of bagels that would last him a few days or just a couple from over the counter, freshly toasted and topped with a healthy helping of his favorite cream cheese. Deciding on the latter (because he couldn't quite afford option one at the moment), Claus hauled himself up to the scattered line of people waiting for service at the main counter at the back of the shop.

As a fussy old woman in front of him threw a fit about the consistency of her smoothie, Claus allowed his fevered mind to wander around a bit. _This sudden fever really sucks,_ he thought rather bitterly. Usually, Claus would never get sick, and even when he did, his body would almost always warn him with mild head and stomach aches beforehand, not just metaphorically dipping his head into the fiery depths of hell. _I just hope Lucas doesn't catch whatever this sickness is either…_, he contemplated protectively. If he got Lucas, or anyone else for that matter, sick, he'd feel like a complete buttmunch.

Claus was so deep in his feverish reverie that he didn't even notice Nichol calling him up to the counter to take his order until he had taken the three customers waiting behind the boy already. Feeling embarrassed on top of his condition (which wasn't the best of combinations), Claus tried to play it off as him being a chivalrous gentleman for the three customers, whom just so happened to be women, who'd been behind him. They giggled as Claus sauntered up to the counter, rolling his eyes at the chuckling Nichol.

"I see you've turned into a ladies man, then," Nichol snickered playfully. Claus just gave him a little grunt, his own way of saying 'whatever'. Nichol then took a good look at his red-haired friend, noticing his flushed face and how irritated and out of it he seemed. "So…is everything okay?" the brunette asked him, genuine concern creeping into his tone.

It was Claus' turn to chuckle. "Sure I am. No damn fever's gonna get the best of me, you know!" he lied, not wanting anyone to worry over him. His head gave a particularly painful throb right then, as if reprimanding him for lying, and he had to stifle a sharp intake of breath. "Anyway, I need two bagels toasted and topped with Triple-C," he continued, using his own abbreviation of his favorite bagel topping, chive cream cheese. He and Nichol had started using this term when he first started to work at the shop, and although most everyone had given them funny looks and comments at first, all the regulars knew what Triple-C* meant by now.

Nichol nodded in comprehension and excused himself to carry out the order. He did so very quickly; Claus had barely managed to greet Cathrine and compliment her hair, which she had done up in a long, swirling ponytail, before Nichol came back with a brown paper bag, the opening expertly folded down to keep the delicious aroma from escaping. Turning away from her grinning thanks, Claus took the paper bag that Nichol offered him and gratefully placed the appropriate amount of DP in his hand. Before he could go and exit the shop, however, Nichol's voice stopped him.

"What did Isaac want yesterday?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Claus regarded the event with a strange emotional combo of grateful anger. "Well, you remember the guy who was being an ass to you yesterday?" he asked in an equally low tone. Nichol responded with a nod. "Well, he apparently told Isaac what happened, complained about it. Isaac thought it was bad for the shop's reputation, so...he almost fired me."

Nichol's eyes widened. "What? You've gotta be kidding!" he exclaimed, even further shocked when Claus just shook his head. "That's so stupid! Everyone in the shop knew his behavior was unacceptable, but you were the only one who bothered to stand up for me. Plus, you're like the most popular cashier we have, and he knows it!" Claus gave his friend a small smile at the compliment. "But you said almost? What ended up happening then?" Nichol's expression switched from angry to curious in less than half a second. Claus could've sworn the guy was ADD. Or maybe bipolar.

"I practically got on my hands and knees to beg him not to fire me…" he murmured, slightly embarrassed at how truthful the not-so hyperbole ended up being. He waited for the brunette to start laughing or making fun of him, but when he didn't hear anything of the sort he looked at him directly. Nichol's face was one of understanding as he nodded slowly.

"I see. Things are pretty tight right now, huh?" Nichol asked rhetorically, placing the DP Claus had given him into the register. "I don't blame you one bit, y'know," the brunette continued, smiling at his feverish friend. Claus stared at him blankly for a moment before smiling as brightly as he could in return. Nichol really was a good guy.

"Thanks for that. See you tomorrow, Nic," Claus turned and gave him a small wave over his shoulder to serve a sufficient farewell as he walked out of the shop. He winced as his head pounded in disagreement. "Maybe," he added hastily under his breath.

Once outside, he opened the bag and sniffed hungrily. The aroma of fresh, toasted bagels rose to his flared nostrils, and even his unbearable headache couldn't keep the smile off his face. He closed his eyes as he walked away from the shop in the general direction of his home, smiling contentedly in spite of his hellish fever.

Claus must have been on a different planet entirely, because he didn't notice the girl in front of him until he'd plowed right into her, sending them both flying into the dirt path. His head started to throb much harder due to the impact, and he groaned out loud at the pain. Opening his eyes, he sat up, ignoring the slight blur of his vision. He irritatedly glanced at the obstacle he'd run into, trying to recognize the woman. His gaze lost some of its anger to curiosity when he couldn't place a name to her face.

She was sitting up now as well, glaring at Claus with ferocious green eyes, slightly larger than his own. She looked young; couldn't be older than twenty, Claus thought. She was wearing a light-blue hooded dress that came down to her lower thighs, which were slender and pale. Her legs continued to get thinner the lower they extended until they disappeared into her shin-high pink boots. These boots were the exact same shade as her unruly hair, which was slightly wavy and poked out at odd intervals. Nevertheless, she was quite pretty, or probably would have been if that ferocious scowl hadn't been etched onto her rounded, youthful face.

"Just my luck, eh? Get plowed into by some stupid kid when I decide to go and visit the city for the first time in ages," she spoke in a loud, authoritative way that intimidated Claus as he scrambled to his feet as quickly as his throbbing head would allow. He didn't respond with words, instead holding his hand out to help the woman up. She took his hand begrudgingly, and he hoisted her up. Claus was slightly confused when the woman inhaled sharply and whipped her hand away as soon as she was standing up again, almost as if she'd been electrocuted.

They looked at each other for a moment, Claus returning the woman's incredulous stare with one of confusion. She appeared to have rediscovered her vocal cords as she asked in a hushed tone, "Who…who are you?" Claus didn't answer, finding it hard to come up with a reason to tell someone he'd known for all of about thirty seconds his name. The woman couldn't have cared less at the moment; she was studying Claus' face intently.

"You have a fever…?" she mused, touching his forehead. Claus was slightly surprised at the sudden gesture and even moreso when she didn't withdraw her hand immediately at the contact, instead opting to let it linger for a few seconds. When she took her hand away, she looked at Claus sternly.

"So it's you then."

Claus looked at her funny. He was pretty sure he'd never met this chick before, and he certainly didn't know of any reason for her to call him 'the one'. "The one? Not sure I know what you mean," he responded, looking around him. Maybe she was looking at someone else…?

The woman just smirked. "Do the letters P, S, and I mean anything to you?" she asked, as if she didn't really expect an answer. Claus was beginning to think this woman was loony; she wasn't making any damn sense. "Can't say that they do…" he trailed off, mystified by her demeanor. She laughed at his response. The sound was loud but rhythmic and somewhat calming in Claus' opinion. She suddenly took his hand and started to lead him away, much to the boy's bewilderment.

"You're not feeling well, are you? You've got a hellish fever, and it's all throbby and achy, am I right?" she stated more than asked in a matter-of-fact tone. This startled the red-haired boy. Could this chick read minds?

"Y-yeah…" was all he managed to say in response. The girl just giggled.

"That's what I thought," she continued. "Don't worry, I know someone who can help you out. We'll go and pay them a visit right now!" she looked back at him with a smile to reassure him, and noticed the bag of bagels he was holding. She snatched them away before he could try to argue about it. "Mmm, this smells awesome! You wouldn't believe how hungry I am," she commented, taking and downing half a bagel before Claus could even begin to protest. Her eyes widened slightly when it hit her tongue. "Ooh, chive cream cheese, my favorite!" she noticed happily as she continued to chomp on it.

It was at this moment that Claus realized he and this woman would get along wonderfully; anyone who liked chive cream cheese as much as he did was A-okay in his book. He half-smiled to himself and started munching on his own bagel, following the pinkette's lead. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt like this woman meant no harm, and that he could trust her. Throwing caution to the wind, he followed her down the path, ignoring his headache for the time being and listening to the rhythmic crunching of their shoes in the fine dirt.

_-asdfjkl;-_

They had been walking for a couple of hours now, making their way up the hulking mountain that stood next to Tazmily, Mt. Oriander. Claus' feet hurt from all the walking, and his excruciating headache wasn't at all helping his mood. He was beginning to question his foolish decision to follow the girl who was a few feet ahead of him, still going strong. His mind was coming up with possible explanations for her motives. Was she just leading him around in circles until he became too exhausted to fight back or something?

"Are we there yet?" Claus groaned childishly. The pinkette just laughed and kept walking.

"Don't start crying on me, now, man, we're nearly there," she called over her shoulder, much to Claus' relief. "Hey, that reminds me…I never introduced myself properly. My name's Kumatora, what's yours?" she asked absentmindedly, examining the brush surrounding a small cave they were approaching. Claus waited until he caught up with her to answer.

"I'm Claus," he replied, rubbing his feet awkwardly. He was thinking about just taking his shoes off altogether; they were beginning to give him blisters. He noticed Kumatora poking around in the bushes with a stick, which only made him further reconsider his accompaniment. "Er, by the way…what the hell are you doing?" he asked bluntly as Kumatora started to all-out whack the bushes with another stick she had found.

"Ensuring that we're alone, of course," she told him, as if this was the most obvious fact in the world. Claus just watched in fascinated disbelief as she continued her action, whacking each bush until she was satisfied that there was nothing there. "Alright, I'm done. Let's go," she dropped the stick and wiped her hands together, signaling for him to follow. She glanced at his skeptical face and chuckled a bit. "All will be explained in due time," she said before plunging into the cave's dark depths. The red-haired boy just closed his eyes and shook his head before doing the same.

The dramatic change in temperature felt wonderful on his hot head. He suddenly had to suppress a shiver, while Kumatora seemed unaffected. They continued on, Claus eager to be done with all this infernal walking. He could already see the light at the end of the tunnel, and he hoped that this meant they would be arriving at their destination very soon. Nearing the light, Claus could make out some colors; pink, blue, brown, purple, green... His curiosity was rising. And as he and Kumatora stepped out of the cave and back into the world of the light, he gasped at the scenery before him.

Luscious, green grass seemed to shine in the falling sun's rays, swaying slightly from the aromatic breeze sweeping across the plateau. It was surrounded on all sides by the mountain, with a few brown boulders scattered here and there. There was a small stream leading to the pond in the corner, a sparkling light blue shade that proudly declared itself free of pollution. In the center of this decently-sized pond was a huge, spiraling pink seashell that had a purple door attached to it, with a small wooden bridge leading to it from the pond's bank. Large purple stepping stones trailed from the bridge to a few feet ahead of where Claus and Kumatora had stopped, beckoning them to the shining abode. Kumatora had her eyes closed, breathing in the fresh air deeply.

"This place sure is as relaxing as I remember," she stated, making her way to the first of many stones. She looked back at Claus, who was still lost in the spell the scenery had cast on him. "You coming?" she asked loudly, tearing him away from his trance.

His pupils dilated a bit, and he hesitated._ Can I really trust this chick, who I've known for all of about three hours, beat innocent shrubs with a stick, and is trying to get me to come with her into a pink __seashell house thing?, _he thought to himself. However, he remembered her guessing his ailment perfectly, and her seemingly benign aura. She couldn't be all that bad, right?

The red-haired boy sighed, making up his mind then and there; he followed her down the well-placed stepping stone trail, towards the pink seashell and, hopefully, the cure to his outstanding fever. 

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: [Fail ending is fail. But we get to see Kumatora in this chapter! Yaay.] Those brackets indicate the original A/N, **__**by the way.**__** The ending is still meh ('cause I didn't really change it trololol), but it's not horrible.**_

*Triple-C - at the time of the original writing, I didn't know this, but Triple C is a drug. Aka Dextromethorphan, predominantly found in Coriciden Cough and Cold medicine (hence 'Triple C'). LOL. I thought about changing this because of that, but what the hell; it's funny (if it's not obvious enough, this fic's Triple C contains no drugs. Hahah).

[Also, since there more than most likely won't be another chapter up before the 25th, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, have a good New Year, etc.]

Thanks for reading! See yah next chap. C': 


	3. III Magypsy Encounter

_**A/N: We get some plotness in this chapter. …sort of.**_

_**Mother 3 © Not me.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

Claus could not believe what his eyes were seeing.

He and Kumatora had made their way to the huge spiraling seashell in the middle of the shining lake by the way of the little stepping stones sticking out of the water. He'd noticed that it had somewhat of a house-ish appearance, sure, but he hadn't expected something quite like this.

When he stepped inside the abode, his vision was completely overrun by one thing: pink. Pink walls, pink carpeting, pink chairs and table, pink bed, pink miscellaneous furniture, pink everything. There were a few things that weren't pink, however; swirling patterns on the curtains were green, some decorative shells scattered about here and there were blue, and a few yellow flowers in a vase on the bedside table. None of that bothered him all that much though. Not in comparison to the people currently observing them from the far side of the room.

There were only two of them. And they were both very masculine. But their clothing styles and choices suggested the opposite. One, who was sitting in a particularly fancy pink chair centered at the head of the long table occupying the room, had a pinkish-purple afro complete with light mustache and goatee of matching color scheme. It donned a purple dress, which was a little bit too short for Claus' comfort. It's eyes were half-lidded, obviously amused for a reason unbeknownst to Claus.

The other had very short hair, much like his late father's had been before it had decided to fall out. The color was the same as that of it's companion, with a matching set of facial hair to boot. This one had a yellow dress on, though, and wore significantly more make-up. It also looked rather amused, although it seemed to harbor a peculiar interest in the red-head, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. They were very... interesting, to say the least.

The one in the chair was the first to speak. "Well, welcome back, Kumatora," it said in a deep-enough-to-be-masculine-but-sweet-enough-to-be-feminine voice. "I see you've been successful in your search!~ Well now, that certainly is wonderful, and you weren't even out that long either!" it praised, nodding affectionately. Kumatora simply shrugged.

"Well, it wasn't all that hard to pinpoint such a huge amount of energy," she said in reply, crossing her arms. The two 'its' giggled.

"True, he does have loads of energy flowing from his being," the one standing up observed, smiling sweetly at him. "Why, I can only imagine this boy's true potential power!~" Claus was becoming irritated. They kept talking about him like he wasn't even there! And this Kumatora chick had promised someone to help him with his fever. Neither of these two...things seemed like doctors to him.

"Don't keep him all to yourself, now, come over here and introduce us!" The it sitting in the chair beckoned us closer, the smile never once leaving it's face. All of a sudden, Claus started to feel a bit tense. Maybe coming here wasn't exactly that smart of an idea... But Kumatora nor the two genderless people in front of him would put up with hesitation, so he just cautiously followed her back toward them.

Kumatora took it upon herself to introduce them. "Well, this one," she started, pointing to the one in the chair, "is Aeolia, and that one is Ionia." she finished, pointing at the one who stood beside Aeolia. "And, for Aeolia and Ionia, this," she said, pointing to her red-head companion, "is Claus. Oh, and I'm Kumatora, if anyone had forgotten," she added sarcastically. Claus nodded to each in turn, and they nodded back.

"Claus, hm? Well, isn't that an odd name~" Ionia chirped playfully. He bit back the urge to say something along the lines of 'Yes well it's better than Ionia'. He'd never liked it when people mocked his name. It was unique, and damn sexy if he said so himself.

"Mhmm," Kumatora agreed, and Claus could only glare at her. She was obviously enjoying this. "Oh, and Claus has a bit of a problem he needs help with, Aeo," she continued, placing a hand on top of his head, making him wince slightly. "He's got a pretty bad fever, yet doesn't even know what PSI is!" Only then did Claus remember his fever, and he hissed as the pain came back into his mind. Damn it!

Aeolia uncrossed and recrossed her legs the opposite way idly. "Ooh, is that so? Poor dear~ But I know just how to fix you up!" she beckoned him closer. Claus hesitated for a moment. "Oh my, the shy type, are we?~ Honey, I don't bite, honest! But I do nibble on occasion... " she said, winking seductively. He shivered. Okay, now he really didn't want to get near that thing.

But that damn Kumatora just grinned and pushed him toward her, and he stumbled right into her outstretched arms. A deep giggle resonated from her throat, and she hugged him into a crushing grip, twisting him side to side slightly, like an insane fangirl. "You are just too adorable!~" she squealed in the deep voice of hers, which sounded kinda funny. She then started to feel around on his face and head.

Unsure of the wisest possible course of action, Claus picked what was probably the least wisest and let her have her way with him. His fever had started to escalate, and by that point he was just too tired to care enough to do something about it. Besides, he sensed no malevolence coming from these three, and he'd always been a pretty good judge of character before.

Aeolia had just finished cooing over how soft Claus' hair was before she finally placed her hand in the center of his forehead. "Alright, hun, this may sting a little bit..." she warned, closing her eyes. Claus' eyes widened. Sting? And an instant later, he discovered that 'sting' was far from what the sensation actually felt like.

Hot. So hot, so unbearably hot. His brain felt like it was on fire. His body arched and he struggled against Aeolia's grip, but Kumatora and Ionia had jumped forward to help keep him in place. Then he felt what he could only describe as an electrical current of sorts running straight through his entire body. Every nerve in his being was either being electrocuted or set on fire, or so it seemed. His breath came in strangled, shallow gasps and he started to shake violently. Kumatora and Ionia looked at each other uncertainly, each afraid the boy would pass out and that they'd have to convince him to do it all over again.

But as suddenly as it had started, the sensation vanished, leaving in it's wake a trembling, sweating Claus and an ecstatic Aeolia.

"My goodness! This little Clauseypoo certainly is a psychic powerhouse, to be sure!~" Aeolia gushed, seemingly unfazed. The same could not be said for the aforementioned boy, however; Claus had slumped to the floor, unmoving, his eyes wide. His fever was gone (thankfully), but it had been replaced with a different feeling, a strange feeling of... power, or something. He couldn't exactly describe it.

"So it worked? How much power does he have? What type of PSI is it? He's on our side, isn't he?" Kumatora started with a flurry of questions with Ionia nodding excitedly along with her, but Aeolia just giggled. "Why don't we ask him, hm?~" As a result, Claus found three heads turning toward him expectantly.

Claus decided to take the opportunity to speak his mind. Standing up shakily, he pointed to Aeolia. "You. What in the unholy hell did you _do_ to me?" he asked, his glare evident. Whatever that was, it wasn't pleasant; sure as hell wasn't just a 'sting' either.

Aeolia just returned his gaze with an amused one of her own. "I never said it would be fun, honey. And plus, your fever's gone now, and you've got a snazzy new power to boot!~" she waved a hand non-chalantly. Claus just shook his head, frustrated. These people (or whatever they were) didn't make any damn sense!

"That's another thing. What do you mean by power, anyway?" he half growled the question, fed up with the lack of explanations.

Ionia giggled and waggled a finger. "Tsk tsk. I take it Kumatora here didn't bother to explain anything to you, then?"

Kumatora crossed her arms and huffed. "Why tell him when he didn't even know what I was talking about? I had to make sure he was who I was looking for!"

Aeolia sighed. "Thankfully he came along without not so much as an inkling of an explanation. Only a fool would do something like that~"

Claus mentally facepalmed. He wasn't getting anywhere. All these people did was bicker with each other! "All right, all right. But now I suppose I _am_ the person you guys were looking for, right? Doesn't that mean I deserve an explanation?" he pointed out.

The three of them exchanged a fleeting look. "We're still not certain," Ionia said, though she looked pretty confident in the opposite. "Tell me dear, when I say PK, what comes to mind?"

The three words leaped into his mind and out of his mouth instantaneously. "Fire. Thunder. Love."

He was surprised at his seemingly automated answer, but even more astonished when all their eyes widened at his answer. The two older man-women (this is the adjective that comes to mind when Claus sees them) smiled contentedly, but Kumatora looked indignant.

"Wait, wait, wait! Love? Are you serious? That can't be right!" Kumatora nearly shouted. "You? The one? Pfft. I was expecting someone more impressive looking," she continued, facing away.

Claus quickly mirrored her mood. "Hey! What the hell? It's not like I asked to be this 'one'' you speak of!" he countered vehemently. "I don't see what makes me so special anyway."

Aeolia whispered something under her breath, and Ionia nodded, pulling a still pissed off Kumatora along with her to where Aeolia sat. She looked at Claus excitedly. "Alright, sugar, I need you to show me some of your power!" she called, waving her hands animatedly. "Focus your mind and say 'PK Love', okay?" she instructed.

"Put a hand up in the air for dramatic effect, too!" Kumatora added.

Claus just stood there blankly. "...you're kidding, right?"

Ionia put her hands on her hips. "Do we look like we're kidding?" she answered. And he had to admit, with the way they were smirking at him, it did indeed look like this was nothing more than a practical joke. Nevertheless, Claus sighed and decided to humor them.

He took a determined, warrior-like stance and tensed himself. He cleared his mind and took a deep breath. Raising his left arm into the air, his expression turned serious and he called out his command.

"PK Love!"

...nothing happened.

Claus waited a few seconds before his face melted into a frown and his body sagged. "What exactly was supposed to happen besides nothing, again?" he muttered darkly, sarcasm heavy on his tongue.

Aeolia just shook her head. "Oh, honey, it's no wonder it didn't work. You didn't focus, did you?" she said matter-of-factly. Kumatora laughed as she nodded in agreement.

Ionia had another tip for him: "And with more feeling, too, Hun, don't be shy!~"

Claus closed his eyes in frustration. _You have got to be kidding me with this_, he thought.

And so he re-stanced himself and tensed up yet again. He cleared his mind and focused on the words he would recite. Taking an even deeper breath than before, Claus raised his left arm and shouted as loud as he possibly could.

"PK Love!"

Brilliant blue lights came dancing out of his palm, twisting and turning and stretching themselves out. The farther away they got, they changed color, from blue to pink to yellow. They ricocheted of off invisible walls that Claus had only noticed once these streaks of light had hit them, and the force of it sent them straight back at him. He hit the floor just in time, feeling the pure energy of the light whiz right past his head before finally dissipating.

He waited a long time until he lifted his head from the ground. When he did, he was met by the shocked face of Kumatora, Ionia's positively jubilant expression, and Aeolia's non-chalant little thumbs up. He was sure his face was even more shaken up than Kumatora's when he spoke. "What...?" he trailed off, feeling a bit dizzy.

Aeolia giggled. "That, darlin', is why you're so special!~"

Ionia elaborated. "Exactly right!~ What you just did was PK Love, the most powerful of all PSI techniques. Even us magypsies can't use that!" she giggled.

Claus just stared. "Magypsy? What?"

Kumatora sighed. "They aren't very good at explaining things in order. They are magypsies, Ionia and Aeolia. The 'masters' of PSI, if you will." They both giggled at that. "However, only the chosen one can use PK Love. And, seeing as how you can use it, it must be you." she concluded, crossing her arms.

Claus kinda missed the point. "So they aren't human! I knew it!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Kumatora just sighed and started to rub her temple. "So this is the chosen one. How brilliant," she muttered.

"But, hold on a minute," Claus started a bit more seriously, "So being this 'chosen one', the only thing different between me and you," he pointed toward Kumatora, "is our technique pool?" he queried, feeling like he might have missed something.

Kumatora shrugged. "That's one of the differences. You're also supposed to be a lot more powerful and have the ability to pull the Seven Needles, too."

"...Seven Needles?"

Ionia spoke up here. "Oh, yes, the Seven Needles!~" she cooed. "Those needles are what we Magypsies exist for, you see. If the world is in danger, someone with both your power and a pure heart is supposed to pull them to reset everything! But once you pull them, we disappear. You wouldn't want that, now would you?" she giggled, stroking her facial hair narcissistically.

Claus was beginning to understand. ...sort of. "So now I have to pull them all?"

Aeolia shook her head gingerly. "No, no. Not yet, at least. The world is fine as it is right now. But," she shared a somewhat worried look with Ionia here, "there are tensions building against your leader, the King P person."

Claus grunted at the name. "He's no king of mine. Once he does something relatively useful for the people who live in Tazmily, then I might start thinking about it."

Kumatora tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've heard he's been pretty busy lately, keeping those Shinra'ta goons in their place," she reasoned.

"Shinra'ta?"

"...you're hopeless, you know that?"

Ionia just shook her head. "Now children, there's no need to be rude~ Clausypoo here obviously doesn't go to the King P rallies often, that's for sure," she observed with a grin.

The youngest pinkette rolled her eyes. "Nor has he ever been to one in his life or even remotely talked about it with anyone. Seriously, do you live under a rock?"

Claus glared at her. "So I'm a complete dumbass, okay? Just _explain_, dammit!"

Aeolia shifted her position, recrossing her legs. "You certainly do have a colorful vocabulary for someone so young," she said smugly, causing him to grunt dismissively. "The Shinra'ta are a rebel group to the northwest of New Pork. They don't like King P's ideals very much, you see~"

Claus laughed sharply. "Cool, where do I sign up?"

Kumatora cut in. "Don't be stupid. You just don't like the idea of having a king who isn't old-fashioned. He's actually done some good things for you. Like the technology?"

Claus' expression turned sour. "We lived just fine without it before. Once he came and gave us technology, it fucked everything up."

"Oh, shut up. Who's lives did it screw over exactly?"

"My parents died in one of those stupid mass production factories."

_That shut her up_, Claus thought smugly. The room took on a somber feel now. Even Ionia and Aeolia's perpetual smiles had been eradicated. Kumatora's expression softened slightly.

"...Well, in that case, I apologize," she started again, carefully calculating her tone. "But it sounds like that was just a freak accident. It's not like Kingy guy actually planned for your parents to die, right?" Claus didn't respond.

"Besides, hun, I don't think you'd fit in with this crowd~" Ionia said, gushing once more. "You're a good kid, I can see that. But these Shinra'ta... They're a force to be reckoned with.

"Since they don't agree with your king, they plan to kill him. Along with everyone who currently follows him, because they've already been corrupted or something," she shook her head sadly. "They plan mass murder."

Claus was a bit taken aback by that. "..."

Here Kumatora piped up. "Hold on a second, though," she said, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "if they're just a rebel group, why doesn't Kingy just annihilate them first? He's been holding a campaign for his army recently; I hear it's quite formidable."

Aeolia sighed a bit dramatically. "It's a bit more difficult than that. They have quite a little regime themselves as well. And," her face turned grim here, "some of our fellow Magypsies have taken to helping them. They now have access to PSI."

Both Claus and Kumatora gasped. "What?" they cried, almost in unison.

Ionia giggled. "Silly geese~ Kumatora knew that already. Mixy and Phrygia left a few years back, remember? And anyway, King P has a few PSI users in his squad too, so I hear," she reassured happily. "The Shinra'ta having PSI users also just makes a victory a bit harder to achieve."

This made Kumatora sigh in somewhat relief, but Claus was still confused. "There are evil magypsies too, then?" he asked.

Aeolia shrugged. "Not so much evil as unbearably bored."

"...Glad to know human life is just a game to you guys."

Ionia looked hurt. "Oh, honey, not to us! We've sworn to protect you silly little humans!"

Aeolia nodded. "Which is why we've gone out of our way to tell you all this. You see, Claus, you may be in danger."

Aforementioned boy raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really!~ You've been awakened, and now the Shinra'ta PSI users will notice your aura. If they had you on their side, victory would be a snap."

"Because of the seven needles?"

"Precisely~ Not to mention your significantly higher-than-standard power."

"Oh, so now I'm just a weapon."

"To them, yes."

Claus exhaled heavily. "I see."

Kumatora laughed and slapped his back playfully. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scared! C'mon, you're probably twice as powerful as any of them. You'd kick their asses!"

Aeolia made a thoughtful noise. "I don't know, he only has alpha level powers right now. He might need a bit of training before he's fully capable~" she said, winking.

Claus looked skyward. "I think I'd rather take my chances."

Ionia shook her head quickly. "Oh no, dear, you simply must train with us!~ We'll make sure you're good and ready to defend yourself aptly enough~"

"...I'm not going to be able to say no, I'm guessing?"

Kumatora put her hands on her hips. "Not a chance. I wanna see what you're capable of too!"

Claus sighed, and quite suddenly, a strong wave of exhaustion washed over him, nearly knocking him over literally. He rubbed one of his eyes childishly. "Alright, fine. But not today. I'm tired," he conceded simply.

Ionia nodded. "Why, you look positively worn out!~ Kumatora, be a doll and escort him home, would you?" she cooed.

The addressed pinkette snickered. "Yeah, whatever. Must be past this kid's bedtime anyway," she chided playfully, much to Claus' irritation.

"I don't need an escort, I'm not a damn baby!" he growled and headed for the door. Kumatora practically pranced along behind him laughing, leaving Ionia and Aeolia to say their goodbyes.

"Bye, Clauseypoo! See you tomorrow—" Ionia called, but Claus had already slammed the door behind them.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Thankfully enough, they didn't have to walk all the way back; it was around eleven o'clock already. Kumatora used a nifty technique—"PK Teleport!"—and they arrived on the path they'd quite literally bumped into each other on earlier that day.

He said goodbye and turned to leave, but Kumatora started to follow him anyway. He faced her squarely. "I'm pretty sure I can make it back from here," he informed, giving her a look that said 'Go away now, I've had enough of you' quite clearly.

She shook her head, smiling profusely. "I should hope so. But I need to come to your house so I can just teleport us there next time instead of here," she insisted, walking ahead of him. "Easier that way, dontcha think?"

Claus was mildly interested. "So you can only teleport to places you've been before?" he asked, taking the lead again.

"That's right. There's always a catch somehow." She followed her response up with a laugh.

Claus found himself actually wanting to ask her a few questions about his newfound powers, but decided to wait until the next time they met up with the magypsies. Besides, he just wanted to sleep and absorb all the information he'd learned today. "Huh. Well anyway, I won't be able to come back tomorrow," he said, more to break the silence than anything else.

He heard her snort behind him. "Oh really? Why's that?"

He frowned, though she couldn't see it. "I have to work tomorrow," he countered.

Silence. "Oh...right," she said, remembering what Claus had said back at Aeolia's place. "Well, what's the next day you've got off then?"

Claus instantly thought Tuesday, which was the day after tomorrow, but instead chose to lie; he already had plans. "Not until next Sunday," he replied.

"Oh no, sir. You can't lie to me and get away with it!" Kumatora laughed. "You're coming Tuesday, whether you like it or not."

Claus stopped in his tracked for a moment before resuming and looking back at Kumatora, frowning. "How did you know I was lying? Besides, I can't, I already have plans."

Kumatora tapped her forehead smugly. "I read your mind because I thought you might lie, stupid," she quipped amiably. "And whatever plans you might have, don't get your panties in a wad. You'll have plenty of time if we start early enough."

Claus just sighed, figuring it best to just go along with her. "Whatever," was his response.

A few minutes later they reached the twins' home. "Well, it's pretty big," Kumatora noted. "Alright, got it memorized. See you Tuesday!" she said with a grin before shouting another teleport command, leaving Claus alone on the porch. Sighing in relief, he pulled out his house key and let himself inside.

The house was dark and quiet. Claus wondered whether or not Lucas was home yet for a second, before seeing his shoes beside the door when he turned a small kerosene lamp on for light. Placing his own shoes adjacent to them, he suddenly noticed his hunger. Not as bad as that morning's, but still noticeable enough.

He placed his key and wallet back into the drawer and made his way over to the food cabinet. Praying that Lucas had gone to get groceries of some kind, he opened the door tentatively.

He was greeted with the sweet smell of bread from Caroline's bakery. There were a few other things inside too, like a jar of peanuts and a few packs of beef jerky, but Claus gladly selected two big rolls from the basket of bread and closed the door. He stuffed one in his mouth and had it down before he'd even turned the lamp off. He had half the second one down by the time he'd reached the stairs up to their room.

Once at the top, the remnants of his impromptu dinner were safely in his stomach. He quietly made his way forward, careful not to disturb the sleeping form of his brother as he made his way to the dresser. When he got there, though, he remembered how loud it squeaked when opened.

_Screw it_, he thought, he could always use the pajamas he'd had on the night before. He turned around and tip-toed to the bathroom, silently closing the door behind him.

Ten minutes later he emerged, fully showered and ready for bed. Making sure to set the clock for five the next morning beforehand, he slowly climbed into his side of the bed and found a comfortable position after a little wallowing around.

He just laid there, trying to clear his head of all the things he'd learned that day. Kumatora, Magypsies, Shinra'ta, PSI, Seven Needles... They clouded his mind. Even worse, as soon as these thoughts were pushed back a little, he began to listen intently to his brother's peaceful breathing, which, for some reason, made him hyperaware of his sinful attraction to him.

Groaning inwardly, he scooted himself as far away from Lucas as possible, telling himself that if he ignored it for long enough, it would go away on it's own. This thought along with the others that wouldn't give him peace downright tortured his mind to no end, refusing to let him relax.

It was a long time before Claus finally drifted off to sleep that night.

—**e—n—d—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

_**A/N: Like I said, sort of. I'm still trying to decide where I'm ultimately going to go with this. And yeah, I know Kumatora doesn't know PK Teleport. AU.**_

_**Reviews and even flames are appreciated.**_


	4. IV Monday

_**A/N: Aaaand, here we go. Thanks for the positive reviews, guys, it means a lot.**_

_**I claim no rights to anything herein, with the exception of plot.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c—h—a—p—t —e—r—**

Claus groaned. There was a pesky sunbeam hitting him right in the face, and he didn't want to be roused from his slumber just yet. But once his consciousness had woken up, he had to be too, whether he liked it or not. So he pushed his upper body up into a sitting position, supporting himself with his forearms on the sheets.

It took a minute for him to realize that three very bad things were in effect. One, it was already quite sunny outside. Two, Lucas was still sound asleep beside him. Three, it was Monday.

_"Shit!"_

He yelled quite loudly, waking Lucas up as well. The blonde rubbed his eyes and laid there for a moment before he caught Claus' horrified gaze and realized himself what was going on. He took on an expression similar to the red-head's.  
_  
"Damn!"_

They both practically jumped out of bed, sending the sheets flying off of it with them. Lucas got to the dresser first, and he yanked the drawer out as fast as he could, finding Claus' clothes and throwing them to him. Claus thanked him and proceeded to change into them as fast as humanly possible as Lucas located his own outfit and did the same. They made quick work of it (and Claus managed to keep his eyes away from Lucas all the while) and quickly brushed through their hair roughly.

"I swear to whatever kind of God is up there, _I set that damn clock_," Claus growled, trying to get a piece of his hair to stay down. Lucas, whose hair naturally curved up slightly in the trademark ice cream cone fashion, took a quick glance at the clock.

"...you set it for five o'clock PM."

"...Goddammit."

Claus removed two pairs of socks from the drawer before closing it hastily and tossing one to Lucas, who thanked him and followed him down the stairs. The red-head put his socks on while he was walking, but Lucas knew that if he tried that, he would probably end up falling down and wasting even more time. So he sat down beside the door to put both his socks and shoes on while Claus just slipped his own on and walked over to the cupboard and retrieved a bread roll for both of them. They each grabbed a house key from the drawer, and with a slam and a click of the deadbolt, they were out the door and running toward the city.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Lucas was doubled over, gasping for breath. A trip that normally took around ten minutes had taken them three minutes, at most. Claus wasn't as bad off as the blonde, but he felt the burn as well.

"Guess we should get in shape, huh?" Claus laughed, holding his arms above his head to help his air flow.

Lucas gave his own shallow chuckle in response, still out of breath. "Y-yeah, sounds like a p-plan..." he took a few more deep breaths before standing up straight again, hands on his hips. A few people who had stopped to stare at them now just shrugged and continued on their way.

Claus glanced at the shop, which looked quite busy. He groaned. "Great, now Nichol's gonna kick my ass," he muttered pessimistically.

Lucas, whose composure had been successfully regained, laughed. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Nichol is a good guy," he reasoned, heading the opposite way, toward the library. "Here's to not getting fired!" he called jokingly, waving goodbye.

Claus grimaced, returning the wave. "If anyone's getting fired today, it's probably gonna be me," he said, more to himself than anyone else, and proceeded to his own workplace.

As soon as he walked through the door, he was bombarded with the noise and smell. People chattering incoherently and food being prepared as fast as employees could muster along with the seemingly perpetual clinking and clanging of the DP registers... It made Claus' head whirl for a moment.

"Hey, look who decided to show his face!" Cathrine shouted over the noise, loud enough for all to hear. Fortunately, everyone else seemed preoccupied, so Claus just sighed and shrugged, weaving his way through the mass of people.

"What can I say? Yesterday was a long day and my alarm clock is Satan in disguise," he justified as he hopped the counter, being too lazy to use the little gate on the far end of it, and put the customary apron on. Nichol, who was adjacent to Cathrine and worked next to Claus, snickered.

"Aren't they all? Anyway, I already clocked you in, so you should be good for today as long as you stay—" he started but stopped abruptly when Claus gave him a bear hug from behind.

"Dude I love you. Seriously."

"Yeah, yeah," Nichol chuckled before pushing the red-head off him so he could take care of the next order. "Without you here, this place is such a bore, y'know."

"Hah, no doubt!" Cathrine agreed, tucking DP away into the register. "You're just a barrel full of monkeys!"

"Uh, yeah, okay," Claus responded, laughing at the jocular comment. He flipped the sign on his own register over so that instead of 'Please use next register', it read 'Orders taken here'. People immediately flooded over to him.

_And so begins the monotonous workday_, Claus thought idly.

_-asdfjkl;-_

A couple of hours later, business had slowed down dramatically, to the point where only Nichol was needed at the fresh food station. Claus, Cathrine, and a couple of regular cashiers busied themselves with restocking the shelves and cleaning up any trash some inconsiderate clients might have left behind.

The door opened. Nichol put on his friendliest smile and looked up at his latest client, only to have the smile wiped off almost instantly with a look of genuine surprise. Claus looked up as well, and immediately began to radiate hostility. The few customers in the shop gasped and started murmuring amongst themselves. King P's loyal public advocate, Fassad, had arrived.

He donned a primarily brown get-up: light brown long sleeve undershirt with a brown vest and khaki pants, complete with a curious brown wad of cloth atop his greasy black hair. He was stroking his mustache rather proudly, regarding everyone with modesty. "Hello there, everyone! How are we doing this fine afternoon?" he asked, his tone genial.

Everyone who hadn't noticed Fassad's entrance looked up and took note of it, a few people answered with 'Good' or 'Just swell, thanks'. Claus didn't bother. Fassad laughed, a strange, seemingly forced sound; Claus didn't like it.

"Good, good," he said, sauntering up to Nichol's register and examining the menu above his head. "Hrm, let's see now..." he turned pensive, stroking his mustache again.

"Sir, if I may, our burgers are excellent," Nichol recommended, with that businessman-like charm he was known for.

Fassad grimaced a bit at that. "I'm not really one for beef, truth be told..." he said, looking around the room intently. His beady eyes jumped from one employee to the next, scrutinizing each, seemingly looking for something. Finally his eyes settled on Claus, and as much as he hated to admit it, they were powerful. They looked sinister...yet honest at the same time, like he was willing to do anything for what he believed was right. Unfortunately, Claus respected that.

"You there, red-headed boy," Fassad addressed him verbally now, "what would you suggest?" he asked, gesturing at the menu casually.

Claus stood up straight and faced him squarely. "I'm a sucker for the bagels myself, sir, with extra chive cream cheese."

The silence that followed was heavy with an indescribable sensation. Fassad stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "Interesting...alright, one bagel with chive cream cheese on it, if you will."

"Toasted," Claus added quickly. Fassad gave him a backward glance before nodding.

"Toasted," Fassad mimicked the teen's words.

Nichol nodded and got on the order right away. The customers went back to what they were doing, as did the employees, save for Claus. He was currently locked into a stare down with the person he had thought for so long to be a useless piece of garbage who knew nothing about Tazmily or it's needs. Fassad's eyes were just as intriguing as before, but now they held an emotion they hadn't had before...satisfaction? Claus did not smile back at him, but he didn't frown at him either, like he'd told himself countless times he would if he ever met the man face-to-face. He kept his face neutral, masking his conflicting ideals.

Nichol handed the man his order, and Fassad nodded his thanks, placing the owed DP on the counter gingerly. He took a few paces away from the counter and reached a hand into the bag. Removing one of the halves, he took a big bite, taking about a third of it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, his eyes closed. All of the employees held their breath; this was an important customer. He opened his eyes, a satisfied look on his face.

"Tasty," he contemplated, chuckling under his breath when he heard everyone exhale in relief. He replaced the bagel into the bag and strolled toward the exit. Cathrine and Nichol both wished him a good rest of the day, and he returned the courtesy. Stopping just steps away from the door, he glanced at Claus one last time.

"If I may be so bold, may I ask what your name is?" he asked, his tone dripping with the sweetness he was trying to achieve. ...well, that's what Claus _wanted_ to think, but in actuality, Fassad's tone was merely innocently curious, hinting at no ulterior motives at all. A bit taken aback, Claus humored him.

"Claus," he said simply.

Fassad nodded, resuming his walk out. "Claus," he repeated, as if testing it out on his tongue to see how it felt. "I'll remember it." And with that, he was out the door, strolling off toward towards the train stop a few blocks away. Claus watched him leave strangely.

So intently was he staring that he didn't even notice Cathrine's approach until she slapped him on the back. "Great job, 'red-head'!" she giggled, making Claus frown. "You don't even know how scared I was you might be rude to him..." she trailed off with a sigh of relief. Claus was indignant.

"What? You know as well as I do, you're never rude to the customer until they're rude to you," he protested, grabbing the broom he'd been using before Fassad's arrival. "Besides...he's not as bad as I thought he was."

That made Cathrine gasp, and Claus rolled his eyes. "Holy crap! NICHOL!" she shouted, turning toward the brunette's counter space quickly. Apparently Nichol hadn't been paying attention to them, because he raised his head questioningly.

"Claus just admitted to liking _Fassad_!" she squealed, pulling the red-head along with her toward their friend, who looked just as shocked as Cathrine did.

"I said 'not as bad', alright? _Not the same_ as like!" Claus frowned, obviously regretting his silly comment.

Nichol leaned against the counter smugly. "So he isn't a scumbag anymore?" he asked playfully, raising his eyes brows tauntingly.

"Well... I..." he trailed off, unable to find the right words_. Leave it to Nichol and Cathrine to make this a big deal_, he thought venomously. "He's just... I mean... Maybe I was a bit... eager to judge him," he said the last part quickly.

"So you think he's a nice guy and all now?" Nichol questioned, although he didn't wait for an answer. "I wouldn't be so sure. I heard he's looking for recruits."

"Recruits? What for?" Cathrine asked skeptically.

"Well, it's just a rumor, but I hear the New Pork Army thing has gotten a lot weaker because of some freak attack or something," Nichol said, closing the register with a clang. "I guess because of that, they need more people to fight."

"So naturally he came to a general goods store to look for muscle-bound warriors of strength and pride," Claus surmised sarcastically.

"Shut up. Even guys like him need breaks sometimes. Look, all I'm saying is to be on your guard. He won't take men with important jobs, which is just about every man in New Pork and here," he paused here, taking a breath and coughing. "Erm, sorry. And he'd most certainly take us teen males before women."

"What are you saying, Nichol?"

"Cathrine, you know as well as I do that females cannot out-do males at combat. Plus he needs the women to keep having babies, the future generation of fighters in his eyes."

Cathrine sighed dramatically. "Men are such pigs."

Nichol just shrugged. "Personally, I get where they're coming from. Without defense, we'd be in real danger, and with that attack from those rebels, I'd have been surprised if they didn't do anything."

Something clicked in Claus' mind. "Rebels? You mean the...damn, what was it again? Slinta'ra?"

"I think you mean Shinra'ta," Nichol chuckled. "Yeah, they've been getting real feisty lately, even after King P offered to create a border between the land so they could govern themselves..."

"Yup, but their base is way up in the mountains, miles and miles away from even New Pork," Cathrine pointed out. "Why would they want country boys like you in such a prestigious position?"

Claus grumbled. "Country boys my _ass_..."

Nichol ignored the other male. "My question exactly; I'm sure they have plenty of teens up there who'd love to get out there and fight," he guessed, crossing his arms. "Something's up."

"Maybe they're looking for someone in particular?" Cathrine suggested. Nichol shook his head.

"No. I mean, maybe, but why would they, all the way out here? It doesn't make sense."

"I dunno," she twisted her hair around in her fingers thoughtfully, "did you see the way he was looking at Claus? Like a child predator off one of those scary video box programs!"

Both Claus and Nichol looked at her oddly. She frowned in response. "What? Don't tell me I'm the only one who watches them!"

Claus shook his head. "He just glanced at me, that's all."

"But he was all like 'Hey there, what's your name son?'! And then when you told him he, like, smiled and said he'd remember it! That doesn't seem odd to you?"

"My name isn't exactly all that common, thanks."

"Even still!"

The door flew open, allowing a few customers entrance and effectively shutting the two up. They all could see it was about that time again: the time of day most people got off work and came to them, being the only fast food place in Tazmily, for their easy meals.

Sighing, Claus waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever, let's just get to work. Sooner we get through this, the sooner I can go home and sleep."

Nichol snorted. "This coming from the guy who was almost three hours late because of his sleeping!"

"Y'know what, Nichol? _You can suck it!_"

_-asdfjkl;-_

Claus flopped onto the couch with a sigh.

The rest of the day had been very busy, thanks to the worse-than-normal dinner rush. Busy and long; Claus found himself working most likely unpaid overtime because he felt bad for the replacements being a little outnumbered with two of them out sick. Nichol had stayed with him too, but they still didn't manage to make it out before seven, a full hour past his usual shift. Nichol said it was karma, which made Claus snort.

Upon his return, Claus discovered that his twin was also late home, meaning no dinner for his lunch-deprived stomach. Although that probably would have been the case anyway; it was Claus' turn to cook tonight.

He laid there, staring blankly at the video box's screen. It seemed to be some kind of drama of sorts, with some women fighting and this Pauly D guy showing off his body shamelessly. The red-head didn't care at all; the buzz of the box being on and the noise the programs made lulled him into naps almost every day. He started to roll around, trying to find the perfect position.

After a few tries, he got pretty close with his body up against the sofa's cushiony back, snuggled in tight. Slowing his breathing, he closed his eyes and relaxed. After a few minutes, he was just on the edge of consciousness when he heard a knock on the door. Groaning slightly, Claus rolled off the couch and reached the door with seven steps.

Pulling the door open to apprehend the person who disrupted his power nap, his expression went from slightly annoyed to curious when who else but Lucas stood outside carrying a big, seemingly heavy cardboard box with his thin arms. The younger boy grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Can't reach my key with this thing, and I didn't want to have to pick it up again," he said apologetically, voice quivering with his effort to keep the box up.

"Not a problem at all. Here, lemme give it a try," Claus replied, holding out his own arms and motioning for Lucas to place the box there. The blonde gratefully did as he was bidden, and Claus was surprised at the box's weight. "Damn, this really is heavy," he observed as they walked back into the house, Lucas closing the door behind them.

"I'm not that much of a weakling, geez," Lucas whined playfully as his brother set the box on the kitchen table and looked at it inquisitively. He approached them both, anxiety crystal clear in his expression. Claus, being the attentive big brother he is, decided to open the box and see what could possibly be so damn heavy and dreadful.

After a few cuts and pulls, he managed to stick his hand into the now-open box and pull out a couple of books. "Books, huh?" he said, frowning slightly.

Lucas looked down. "Yep. They're new ones that need indexing, so Wess said that we'd split the job today, but since I was late..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck coyly.

Oh, perfect. Because of his own incompetence, Claus had inadvertently caused Lucas to suffer for being late to work. His frown deepened exponentially. "...I see. Well, I'll make it up to you then." He walked over to the cabinet to get eight loaves of bread. "After I make dinner, we'll do it together, kay?"

Lucas looked horrified. "What? No way, I couldn't ask that of you! It's my work and I can do it myself," he huffed in refusal.

"I'm sure you _can_ do it by yourself, Lucas, but you wouldn't be asleep until really late. Neither would I; I'd be too guilty," Claus wasn't going to let him refuse. Lucas snorted.

"I'm sure you'd be fine."

"Lucas, shut up. I'm helping you and that's that."

The blonde sighed. "If you insist. But don't say I didn't warn you," he said before flopping himself down in front of the video box. As Claus was whipping up some sandwiches for the both of them, Lucas wrinkled his nose at the screen. "What kind of program is this?" he asked incredulously.

Claus shrugged. "I don't know. I just turn it on and let it calm me into a nap, I don't watch it."

"Well, I don't either... Why do we have this thing again?"

"Mom used to watch those soap opera things, remember?"

A moment of silence. "Ah, right..." Lucas trailed off softly. They both became quiet, Claus finishing the last sandwich off with a healthy dose of mayonnaise and Lucas staring off into space. "You know, that reminds me," Lucas spoke suddenly, "Did you by chance get any flowers?"

Claus froze for a moment. _Shit, with everything that happened today I completely forgot about tomorrow!, _Claus thought frantically, but managed to save himself quickly with, "I thought we could pick some up tomorrow, so they'll be fresher."

Lucas seemed to buy this, to Claus' relief. "Ah, good thinking..."

Claus, having finished putting the top on the last of his sandwiches, put his hands on his hips triumphantly. "Dinner's done," he called, even though Lucas was only about fifteen feet away.

He took the two plates over to the couch and handed one to the blonde, who thanked him. Once the red-head had seated himself, they each took a simultaneous bite. Claus deemed it dinner-worthy, but what really mattered was Lucas' opinion. Aforementioned boy swallowed and smiled. "You really can't go wrong with turkey sandwiches," he said before taking another bite.

Claus beamed in return. "True that!"

After they'd had their fill of the sandwiches, the twins washed their hands and prepared for some serious bookwork. Sure, Lucas did this every day, but Claus hadn't even read a book in years. The blonde had tried to talk him out of it again, but he wouldn't have it; he was going to show Lucas that he was sorry and make it up to him somehow, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

They sat across from each other at the kitchen table. "Alright, here we go," Lucas said, beginning his crash course in book indexing. "This sheet is the most important thing here; it dictates how many of each kind of book we have in different categories, like genre, alphabetical order, date added, and author specific," he pointed toward a long sheet of paper, with a lot of confusing-looking columns and big numbers with decimals. "You have to put each number, including the decimal, on this little white tab on the binding of each book, right here," he pointed to a taped-on white slip of blank paper on a random book's spine. "Add one when you put it on, too. For example, for genre, if you've got historical fiction, you take it's number—124—and add one, which would be 125. See what I mean?" he paused expectantly.

Claus' face was completely blank. "Absolutely nothing you just said made any sort of sense," he answered, earning a nervous chuckle from Lucas. "But just show me by doing a few first, and I'll figure it out from there."

So Lucas did. Claus watched his actions like a hawk, eyes never straying from the blonde's hands once. They worked quickly and efficiently; it was easy to see what kind of work Wess had him do most of the time in that library. He had five done in three minutes.

"Think you're ready to try?"

"Let's do it."

Claus grabbed the nearest book and looked at the inside of the front cover. Science fiction, it said. He looked up the corresponding number on the sheet and scribbled it plus one down on the slip. Next was date added, which was just the date in number form with the decimal being the number book this particular one was, and since Lucas had just done five, this was number six. This isn't so bad, Claus thought as he flipped through the packet containing all the authors who currently had books in the library, determining if a new number was needed or not. When he spotted the name on the list, he decided not, and just wrote down that number modified by one on the sheet.

Finally, he finished it off by writing down how many pages the book had (six-hundred twenty-five, if you were wondering) and placing it back into the now-almost-completely-empty box. Lucas, who had been watching him intently the whole time, smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice! It took me a long time to get to where I could do it that fast," he praised.

Claus winked at him. "I had a good teacher, what can I say?" That earned him a laugh.

"Yes, well, let's see if you can keep up!" Lucas challenged, sliding a pile of books closer to himself.

"Alright then, bring it!" Claus already had a small pile in front of him, so he opened the first one he touched and got started.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Even with their little speed competition, it was a full three hours before they could consider the job done. In the end, Lucas had won, because Claus, who was slightly ADD, kept writing the same number on each book on accident for like ten minutes and had to go back and correct it all. If it hadn't been for Lucas' keen eye, Claus probably wouldn't have even noticed himself.

The younger of the two stretched his arms over his head, and Claus could hear the multiple pops that resulted. He glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall across from the table they were currently sitting at; it read ten forty-five pm.

"Ten forty-five _already_? Man, time must just fly by for you at work," Claus said, popping his own back a couple times. Lucas paused his placement of the books back into the box to look at him and laugh.

"If you do it every other day, it gets pretty boring," was his reply.

Claus shook his head. "I told you it would be. And I also told you, you should have taken the job at Caroline's Bakery because you enjoy stuff like cooking," Claus went on, taking some of his own books and putting them in. He chuckled when the blonde blushed slightly and looked away.

"Wess pays better."

"Yeah, sure. That place is funded by King P, too, that's why."

Lucas didn't respond. They finished putting the books back in silence, and once they were finished, they sat there for a moment, staring at each other rather blankly. Claus was the first one to get up.

"Well, I'm beat," he yawned, leaning back a bit. "Think I'm gonna hit the sack."

Lucas didn't make any move to get up. "Okay. I think I'll stay up for a little while longer..."

Claus nodded. "Right. Good night, Luke."

"Good night."

The red-head slowly padded toward the stairs, debating with himself on whether or not to shower that night or in the morning. But when he got to the foot of the stairs, he had the sudden urge to say something he hadn't said in God-knows how long. So he turned his head slightly to give Lucas a sideways glance. The words almost got stuck in his throat, but he forced them out before he could change his mind.

"...Love you."

He saw Lucas' body stiffen, and the boy turned his head to face Claus, his expression slightly surprised. And for a split second, Claus was terrified that he'd let on more than he'd meant to with the statement. But after a moment, Lucas' face melted into a small yet warm smile.

"Yeah. Love you too."

Claus took a second to return the smile before continuing up the stairs as calmly as he could. Once out of the blonde's sight, Claus sighed out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. If only Lucas knew the premise under which he used those words...

_He'd probably be disgusted_, Claus thought glumly.

Once successfully up the stairs, he lazily decided to take a shower in the morning and flopped onto the bed, fully clothed and everything. He really was tired, and he needed as much sleep as possible for tomorrow...

Oh God. _Tomorrow_.

He still had to go back with Kumatora to the transvestites' (Magypsies') place tomorrow! He'd almost completely forgotten. He cursed his luck and worked his way under the covers, shedding his shorts as he did so. He'd completely forgotten about everything, really... The weird powers, the Magypsies and Kumatora, what day it was tomorrow...

He turned over, finding a suitable, comfortable position. He remembered now why he was going back; they'd insisted upon teaching him more about this... PSI stuff, and how to defend himself with it. Claus sighed, suddenly feeling quite restless. Could it be that he was excited...? No, no, no, that wasn't it. He wasn't excited to be going, he was excited to be _getting it over with_, he told himself blandly, shutting his eyes and attempting to clear his mind.

Unlike most other times he tried this, however, he was successful, and it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of nothing in particular.

Tomorrow was going to be a _long_ day.

—**e—n—d—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

_**A/N: And there you go. Yet another filler chapter, boo. Next chapter should be more interesting though. If all goes as planned.**_

_**Oh, and sorry, for those of you who like the twincestiness, about the lack of it. I wanted it to seem really light and one-sided for these first few chapters. Bear with me.**_

_**Reviews welcomed with open arms!**_


	5. V Fire

_**This is purely fanmade and I claim to own none of it.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

_Tap, tap, tap._

It was still dark outside. The moon was slowly heading back down toward the western horizon, and the sky was dark but clear. In the bedroom of a two-story log house adjacent to the sea, two bodies lay side by side in a comfortable-enough looking bed. Each figure rose and fell in a soft rhythm of subconscious breathing, and one of each of their lay lightly intertwined between them.

_Tap, tap, tap._

The figure on the left shifted, breaking their tender connection. A few locks of brilliantly red hair poked out from under the sheets that blanketed them. The two slept on.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Arms shifted and the topmost blanket came down just enough to reveal Claus' face, on which a slight frown had appeared. However, he still did not make a move that implied any sort of consciousness.

_Tap, tap, tap._

One garnet eye opened slowly, groggily, irritatedly. _So apparently that incessant tapping on the windows wasn't a figment of my imagination_, he thought wearily. _But if not, what in the unholy hell is it?_

_Tap, tap_. _. ._ **CLUNK**.

Claus shot up and sat bolt upright, startled by that last large sound. Glancing over to make sure he hadn't woken his twin, he stole out of the bed, hesitantly peering out the window. It took his a few seconds to fully take in the scene below him, but once he had, he cursed under his breath. He made his way out of the room, slowly and quietly, until he was sure he was out of Lucas' earshot. He quite nearly burst out the front door, fully prepared to kick some ass.

The pinkette standing under his window held up a hand non-chalantly when she saw him, as if this was an entirely normal encounter. "Howdy," she greeted him, and Claus could almost hear the smirk in her voice, probably directed at his choice of sleepwear, which consisted of only a white tank top and pink (light red, Claus would insist) boxers, but damn it all if any of that mattered right now!

"What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered the question harshly. "Like, seriously. You could have broken the damn window!"

She adopted a face of mock regret. "Oh dear, now that would have been a crying shame," she said in the fakest tone of lament he'd ever heard in his life. "Seriously, get over it, pansy," she only giggled when Claus' eyes flashed in angrily. "If you care to remember, we have business to take care of. It's best to start any and all training early in the morning, so you can be fully awake to absorb it," she continued, and Claus couldn't tell if she was joking or not. But the way she was getting ready to PK Teleport them back to the Magypsies' house told him that she wasn't.

"Are you kidding me?" he whispered incredulously in reply. "I already told you, I have plans—"

"That aren't going to get done until sometime around noon, right?" she cut him off with a smug little smile. "You'll be back with plenty of time to spare. Now c'mon, we're wasting time," she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently.

Although Claus had half a mind to just go inside and completely ignore her, he knew somehow that it would be futile, if not dangerous, to try and defy Kumatora's will. So he just scowled at her for a moment before turning around to go back inside the house.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?" she called out to him, sounding genuinely curious. Claus couldn't keep his voice a whisper anymore.

"Do you really expect me to go in my freaking _boxers_?" he very nearly shouted at her, glaring daggers. Kumatora, not too surprised at the boy's response, held her hands up by her head as if to say 'okay, okay, geez' and closed her eyes with a smile.

"Alright, alright, fair enough. But you only have five minutes; take any longer and I'll—"

That was all Claus heard before he slammed the front door shut as quietly as his agitation would allow. His stealthiness returned to him as he climbed up the stairs and made his way to the dresser that sat across from the bed. Claus went to open it.

SQUEE-

He froze instantaneously, his eyes going wide. His ears had been so used to the soundlessness of his surroundings that the noise of the squeaky dresser had been amplified fivefold. He cursed his seemingly worsening luck and memory as he closed his eyes and pulled the drawer open as fast as he could.

_SKREEEEE!_

After the sound had faded away, Claus peeked around behind him, half-expecting his blonde brother to be sitting up blearily. He let out a silent sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding when he saw nothing but a lump under the covers, rising and falling slowly. After a moment of unconsciously staring, he returned to the task at hand. Pulling a black shirt and denim trousers out of his drawer, he shed his nightclothes and had them on in record time.

With socks in hand, he slipped back down the stairs, unwilling to close the drawer in fear he might really wake his twin. After he'd managed to push his feet into his getting-too-small shoes (he needed new ones, but had put it off due to laziness), he debated with himself on whether or not to eat something. Deciding not to, another thought entered his brain, this one being a little more important than food.

Pulling open a drawer next to the front door, he rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling out a pen and a scrap piece of paper. Clicking the pen, he scribbled with it a bit to make sure it wasn't all dried out before he started to write hastily.

_Lucas,_

I'm going out for a while. Fuel asked me to help him carry some wood over to a new construction site. Don't worry; I haven't forgotten. I'll be back around nine o'clock, see you then.

Claus  
  
The red-head felt a little prick in his chest at the lie he'd just fabricated. It wasn't actually out of the ordinary; Fuel often asked Claus to help him move materials around from site to site because Lighter, his father, was often busy, using the company truck for some other construction job. Claus was usually happy to help him out, since they'd known each other from when they were small and he'd even worked with him in the beginning of their new life, and were good friends. It also helped that Fuel would often fix up their house's walls or fencing from time to time free of charge, too. Claus just hoped Lucas wouldn't come looking for him or bring it up later or something.

Replacing the pen and closing the drawer, he laid the note in one place Claus knew Lucas would see it; on the kitchen table. With that taken care of, he took in a final breath before opening the front door to head out. He did a double take, nearly crying out in surprise.

"Holy—" he began before getting a hold of his nerves and assuring himself that it was just Kumatora's face smiling down at him. He quickly changed his expression to an exasperated scowl. "Dude, _really_, what the hell?" he muttered, stepping outside and shutting the door quickly. "Anyone else would think you were a creeper..." he paused, glancing at the pinkette with a raised eyebrow. "You aren't a creeper, are you?"

Kumatora merely shrugged. "If I was, I wouldn't tell you that I was, would I?"

"...Good point."

Kumatora shrugged the teen's words off and grabbed Claus' arm, pulling him closer to her. "Either way, you're stuck with me, Mr. PK Love," she winked at him with a smile before closing her eyes. "Okay, here we go. PK Teleport!" she called out. In a whirl of pastel colors and contorting shapes, the two were gone, leaving only a gust of air in their wake.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Claus raised himself up off the ground for the umpteenth time, spitting a few blades of grass out of his mouth and glaring up at his assailant. "God dammit, _stop doing_ that!"

Kumatora flexed her hand and giggled, shaking her head from side to side. "How else are you going to learn?" she smirked, stepping away from the boy, who was now standing upright once more. "No matter how many times we do this, you just can't seem to hold of li'l ol' me," she teased.

As much as Claus hated it, he knew she was right. They'd sparred multiple times, Kumatora teaching him the proper way to counter and all, but Claus had yet to even land a hit on the surprisingly dexterous pinkette. He didn't say a word as he took the stance Kumatora had taught him, readying himself for another try.

"Look alive, darlin'," Ionia called from the sidelines. She and Aeolia observed from a good few meters away, giving a few tips of their own to the red-head. The sky had begun to grow lighter, faintly illuminating the Magypsies' grove and the surrounding cliffs. "You don't look like you're even trying. Put some effort into it!"

Kumatora's smile turned harsh as she lunged at him, her right hand coming back for a punch aimed at Claus' abdomen. Claus took note of this and sidestepped out of the way, avoiding her punch by mere centimeters. The pinkette had seen this coming and sent her left hand at his right shoulder, causing the air around it to hiss slightly. It made contact, and Claus winced, but his stance didn't falter. He tried for a punch of his own, letting his right fist fly toward her. She stepped back, and to Claus shock, she turned to the side and ducked, her left leg straight out in front of her. In a flash, she rotated, her leg speeding toward his own dangerously. In an attempt to dodge, Claus jumped up, but he was too slow about it; Kumatora caught his legs in midair and he fell to the side with a _FLUMP_.

She stayed crouched, smiling innocently down at the red-head. "Sorry about that one. Too hard?" she asked, watching as he closed his eyes and ground his teeth in contempt. It was true that the first few times Claus had underestimated Kumatora because she was female, but she had quickly proven herself a worthy fighter by giving him an ass kicking. But he had been completely serious the last few times, and he couldn't understand why he was sucking this hard. He had seen Kumatora's little sweep attack coming well enough in advance to dodge it; it was like his body's reaction time was off.

"Here's a thought," Aeolia suggested, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Try moving a little earlier than you think you need to. It looks like you're doing everything fine, except your reactions are just a bit too slow."

Claus exhaled heavily. He pushed himself up to his feet and shook his hands out before closing his eyes and assuming his position. He steadied his breathing and cleared his mind of everything but the grinning image of Kumatora. He then imagined socking her in the face. Although he wasn't normally one to hit girls, Kumatora was an exception on account of the countless bruises he would no doubt end up with in the morning.

The aforementioned pinkette's voice caused the image to shatter. "Alright, one more go. Ready when you are," she said, regarding him somewhat sympathetically. He reopened his eyes to meet hers, fully concentrating and gathering up all his strength. It must have come off rather angrily, because Kumatora just laughed at him. "No need to scowl at me like that, buddy!" Her smile stayed as she inched closer to him, getting ready to attack. Claus didn't take his eyes off her, and after a moment or two she went at him once more.

She started off with the same move as before; a punch with her right hand. Claus dodged cleanly this time around, and decided to try something different by grabbing the extended appendage and pulling her closer, aiming to knee her in the gut. He hadn't expected Kumatora to come without a fight, though, and he ended up pulling her too far, right into himself; the pinkette used this to her advantage and made to elbow him in the face. Claus was able to jerk his head back just enough to avoid the attack before he attempted to shove his forearm into her stomach. She blocked with her own arms, but it did what it was intended to do: knock her back and slow her reaction time for a second. He brought the same forearm's elbow into her stomach hard, using the leftover momentum from his previous move to drive it in further. Kumatora visibly winced, but her smile only grew wider as she fell backwards and kicked her legs out, catching the red-head in the right thigh.

He inhaled sharply but didn't miss a beat, grappling with one of her legs until he had a firm hold on it. She used her forearms to break her fall and tried to wrench her leg out of Claus' grip, but the boy had already begun to move. Stepping forward in the opposite direction as if to throw a baseball from the mound, Claus let out a fierce cry as he used every last drop of strength he had to toss Kumatora up into the air toward a stone wall. She went higher than Claus had anticipated, but nowhere near as far as he would have liked, twisting around in the air and landing on her feet not two meters away. She put a hand on her stomach where she'd been hit, but the smile was still there when she met his eyes. He saw something new in them, different from the exasperation and amusement from before. Almost like she'd finally found something she'd been looking for.

"Well, it's about time," she giggled, panting slightly from their most recent match. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever get a hit on me!"

Ionia was clapping behind them. "Oh my goodness, that was wonderful, darling, simply wonderful!" she gushed, holding her hands to her stubbly cheeks as she did so. "I knew you could do it if you concentrated! You are the one, after all~"

Aeolia merely closed her eyes and nodded slowly, her lips curving up into a smile. "Indeed he is. Now all that's left is to combine his physical and mental power."

Claus couldn't help but feel good after finally holding his own, and their praise only boosted his ego even more. But Aeolia's last words caught his interest. "Wait, hold on," he said, staring at Aeolia now. "You mean I can use that PK Love thing while I'm fighting close up?"

She nodded. "Yes, and not only that, but all your other offensive PSI too," she replied, recrossing her legs idly. "Do you remember what your other spells are?"

Claus thought back to their last encounter, and he faintly remembered something. "Uhm, I think it was something about fire and thunder?"

Ionia bobbed up and down, nodding excitedly. "Yes, yes, exactly!" she confirmed. "You should try using them too, it will make your arsenal more dynamic."

Claus nodded. "Right. Just the same way I used PK Love last time, huh?"

Kumatora backed away further, toward where the older pinkettes were located. "Mhmm, exact same process."

"Alright then, here goes nothing," the red-head said as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This time he imagined it'd be easier because he had some idea of what to visualize; fire or thunder was much easier to picture than an intangible concept like love. He held his left hand out as if offering someone a handshake with his palm held upwards. "PK Fire!"

True to what he'd imagined, his hand was instantly lit on fire, the flames burning wildly and trailing down his arm. Out of reflex, Claus yelled and jerked his arm away, sending the flames off his arm and onto the ground in front of him, where the grass and fallen leaves only seemed to add to the girth of the quickly spreading fire.

Claus' mouth was agape. "Oh, _shit_."

"Hey!" Kumatora called to him. "The fire is your creation, so you're controlling it. If you freak out, it's going to freak out too. Just visualize it stopping and it'll stop!"

Claus doubted that something as feeble as visualizing would work in such a situation, but he tried anyway. But every time he was able to picture the fire gone, the heat of the blaze always screwed up his thinking. He looked around desperately, and saw that the flames were rapidly approaching the three pinkettes across from him. Damn it all if he was going to be responsible for burning them!

Throwing sense into the wind, Claus lunged out at the fire, running straight toward it. "Stop, dammit, _stop_!"

As if on cue, the flames froze, stopping their trek entirely. They were inches away from the Magypsies and Kumatora, neither of whom seemed particularly worried. As quickly as it had appeared, the fire vanished, leaving the ground below it looking the same as before. In fact, there was nothing that even suggested a horrible fire had been in the area not moments before. The red-head slowed to a halt, completely confused.

Aeolia noticed this. "The fire would have burned if you had wanted it to burn. But since you didn't, it just looked as if it was burning. It's actually a neat trick for scaring things away without harming them~"

Claus looked down at his left arm. It had no burns at all, and not even a hair was out of place. "B-but, it was hot, I felt it!"

Ionia nodded. "It adds to the illusion~ Plus, you expected it to be hot, so naturally, it was."

The red-head blinked. "So nobody was really in danger there."

"Correct."

He sighed. "This PSI crap is really freaking confusing."

Kumatora snickered. "Don't worry, you'll catch on eventually. For now, let's work on trying to control that fire of yours!"

And so they spent ten or so minutes working on Claus' control. It took a few tries, and once he'd even accidentally set his shirt on 'fire' because he forgot to put the pseudo-fire on his arm out, but eventually he was able to form a small sphere of fire in his palm on command like Kumatora had demonstrated. With a flick of his wrist, he could send it anywhere he wanted to as long as it was within his range of sight. The farther away his target was, however, the weaker the magic would become.

"That goes for all PSI, too," Ionia added after the pair took a break from the lessons. "You'd do well to remember it."

Claus just nodded. He'd begun to feel kind of woozy after the last couple of PK Fires he dished out, hence his insistence on a break. "So thunder," he began, "would be lightning?"

Aeolia nodded, smirking at him. "Yes, pretty much. PK Thunder sounds better than PK Lightning, don't you think?"

Claus actually thought PK Lightning sounded cooler, but he just chose to agree without a word.

Kumatora tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I can't use PK Thunder, though, so you'll be on your own this time. Should be the same basic concept; visualize and make it happen!"

Claus closed his eyes. His mind was filled with blue and yellow streaks of light, whirling around endlessly. He made sure to imagine them as harmless before he opened his eyes and held his left hand out in front of himself. "PK Thunder!"

His hand started to glow blue, with small streaks of electricity crackling across his palm. It had begun to tingle faintly and his fingers twitched. He stared at it for a moment before it dawned on him that this was an aimed attack. He looked toward an adjacent boulder and pointed his index finger at it, willing lightning toward it. Faster than he'd expected, his hand started to glow intensely for a split second before a thick blue pike of energy shot from his finger to the boulder. It made contact within the second, bouncing off in scattered directions before disappearing completely.

Ionia's eyes were starry. "Oh my, you were able to control that one on your very first try! You're improving quite quickly~" she cooed, obviously impressed with the teen's progress.

Kumatora laughed. "Quickly enough, though? Let's try combining those two techniques in a quick joust, shall we?" she said, approaching him once more. The way she had said it implied that it was a challenge, and Claus could be a very competitive guy. He smiled mischievously.

"Let's go."

As soon as shed come within reach, Claus propelled himself forward, his right fist out in front of him. Kumatora dodged swiftly and swung her arm into his side. He winced but kept at it, sending his left hand into her other arm's elbow. It didn't faze her at all; she sent her left fist flying toward his face. Claus ducked just in time and decided to insert a spell here. "PK Fire!" he yelled, summoning a bundle of fire in his left palm. He made to send this ball straight into her side with a quick slap.

Kumatora gasped as it hit her, the fire searing through the blue fabric of her dress, but she didn't falter, and sent her right foot smashing into his left ribcage. He coughed in pain as he fell backwards, but saw an opportunity for a last attack. "PK Thunder!" he managed to call out and send a bolt of electricity at her before his back hit the ground. He watched intently, looking forward to getting in the last hit, but unfortunately, his attack never reached its target.

"PK Shield!" she said with a smirk, and a bubble made up of shimmering, distorting hexagons surrounded her mere milliseconds before his bolt could make contact. The shield seemed to absorb it when it hit, and vanished after the task was complete.

Claus stared in curious shock for a moment before he closed his mouth and glowered at her. "No fair," he whined.

She put on a frown of her own and pointed to where her dress was burnt on her side. "You already got me once with your fire, ass."

"Yes, and you just cracked like three of my ribs!"

"I showed you how to dodge, that's your fault."

"My fault?"

"Now, now, darlings," Ionia interrupted them, "there's no need to quarrel! You both did wonderfully~" she complimented them both. Kumatora's smile came back once more as she said it, and Claus merely grumbled under his breath.

Aeolia leaned forward a bit. "Well, well~ Since when did our little Kuma know PK Shield?" she asked.

The addressed pinkette shrugged. "Since a few months ago, I guess. It's still the only defensive PSI I've got, though."

While Aeolia and Kumatora discussed the latter's newfound spell, Ionia beckoned Claus over to her. "Hey, sweetums," she started, causing the teen to flinch. She laughed in her deep, resonating way. "No need to be apprehensive, now! I just want you to try using PK Love again! I'm sure you can control it now, and I've been _dying_ to see it again since that first time~" she said excitedly.

Aeolia heard this and decided to speak as well. "As have I. Plus, it would be good practice seeing as how it's your most powerful move."

Kumatora was in agreement. "Yeah, show us whatcha got!"

Claus sighed. "Okay, okay," he relented, stepping back a few paces and readying himself for the spell. His head was starting to hurt, but he figured that it was his lack of sleep catching up to him. Now that he knew what to picture in his brain, he could tell that this time it would be easier.

He held his hand out in front of him yet again. "PK Love!" he called. His hand started to glow three different colors; blue, pink, and yellow. It sparkled and radiated warmth, with what seemed to be liquid of the three main colors dripping from his fingers and disappearing in midair.

Suddenly, Claus felt absolutely exhausted. His arm felt like triple its normal weight as he pointed toward the same boulder as earlier and the multicolored beams gravitated toward it like lightning. As the attack was deflected by the huge rock and faded away, his vision blurred and swayed as he fell forward, his legs abruptly unable to support his weight. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

The three pinkettes who had been observing with grins and awe now stared at him for a moment before turning to each other with a sigh.

"He overworked himself," Kumatora pointed out, slapping a palm to her forehead.

"His poor body isn't used to using so much PSI at once," Ionia agreed, glancing back at the fallen boy with a look of amusement.

Aeolia closed her eyes, a smile on her lips. "So it seems. We'll just let him sleep it off for a little while."

_-asdfjkl;-_

Claus' nose twitched. It smelled like someone had put on way too much of some cheap perfume and was standing right in front of him. Grimacing, he realized that he was in a bed of some sort, with the sheets drawn up around him. He pushed himself into a sitting position, stretching out his arms before slowly opening his eyes.

He saw Ionia's face only centimeters away from his own, smiling at him with half-lidded eyes. "Welcome back to the world of the living, sleepy head~"

He yelled and jerked his head away, hitting it on the back of the bed. "Ouch... Dammit, I need personal space!" he said with a frown, rubbing the back of his head.

He heard Kumatora laugh. Looking around the Magypsy, he saw Aeolia and Kumatora sitting next to each other at the long table in the center of the room. It was then that he realized he was back in the shell house of theirs he'd visited his first time here. Brilliant, he thought, his frown deepening.

"Are you feeling better now?" the youngest pinkette asked, looking at him now. "I took care of most of your cuts and bruises while you were out cold. You fell like a rag doll!"

Claus remembered the feeling all too well. "Yeah, well, it's not like I meant to," he huffed, looking away.

Aeolia lowered the tea cup she'd been drinking out of. "Of course not. You merely used too much PSI in too short of a time frame; one can only use so much."

Oh. Well, that did make sense. Claus was about to ask exactly how much PSI once could use in a given period of time before he suddenly remembered something very important. "Guys," he started, feeling his stomach sink, "what time is it?"

Kumatora looked out the window next to her. "Mm, I'd say about nine o'clock at night."

His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. Nine o'clock at night? How could he have let himself sleep that long? "...Are you _serious_?" he asked shakily, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kumatora looked at him funny. "Yes, completely. Why would I lie about the ti..." she trailed off, her own eyes widening as she saw Claus' horrified look and realized where this was going. "Oh, my God! You had somewhere to be today, didn't you? Damn, I'm sorry, Claus, I completely forgot..."

He was already up and heading straight toward the door, anger fueling his stomps across the room. "Whatever! Just get me back, dammit!" he nearly yelled as he flung the door open and walked out.

Kumatora sighed. "Yeah, okay," she said, pushing her chair out behind her and hurrying out after him. The two Magypsies looked at each other with a raised eyebrow before staring out the door the younger two had left agape.

The duo appeared in Tazmily's central square. Luckily, no one noticed them; everyone was swarming around near the southwest path out of the square, which was the path Claus needed to take to get home.

Kumatora looked toward the sky in the same direction. "Hey, is that... smoke?"

Claus followed her gaze. There was indeed smoke billowing up into the air, although it was hardly noticeable against the darkness of the sky. _What the hell is going on?_

Claus made his was toward the crowd of people with Kumatora following him. Everyone looked shocked, some people even looked frightened. They were all talking amongst themselves, and some at the front of the bunch were trying to get past a wall of pigmasks blocking the way. The closer he got, the more he could see past these pigmasks; there were a few vehicles behind them, probably ones they'd used to get here, and he could make out fire engines in the distance.

Kumatora gasped behind him. "What in the world...?"

"Hey, Claus!"

Claus knew who was calling him before he even turned around, but when he did he met the face of a panic-stricken Fuel, whose normally calm and collected brown hair was sticking out in all sorts of directions. "Dude, I've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?" he asked breathlessly.

Claus ignored the question. "What's going on here?" he asked his own question in response.

Fuel exhaled deeply. "I suppose I should start from the beginning. Lucas came over to my house at about four o'clock, asking where you were," he said, raising an eyebrow at the red-head, who audibly swallowed and looked away quickly. "I told him I didn't know, and he said okay, thanks anyway. After I was done doing some work at my place I ran into him in town, still looking for you, so I told him I'd help. After about an hour we still hadn't had any luck, and he looked awfully tired and worried, so I told him to go home and check if you'd gotten there and if you hadn't I'd stay out there and keep watch since I needed to wait for a package anyway.

"Well, it was around eight when I picked up the package and decided to check on Lucas to see if he'd found you or something. Naturally, he hadn't. Hell, he was close to tears when I came back there with no luck! So I told him I'd go look around one more time and left." Fuel paused here to catch his breath. "I wasn't but five or so meters away when I hear this loud noise and everything lights up for a second. It scared me half to death! I turn around real quick and see that _the house is on fire_."

Both Claus and Kumatora, who'd also been listening, felt their eyes widen and jaws drop a little at the last statement.

"I ran back to try and help Lucas, but there's another loud noise a lot closer to me and I'm knocked over by the light! Another fire starts then, right between me and your house, so I didn't have any choice but to run back to town. Even then though, more fires started along the way, some of them catchin' other houses too! By the time I got here, people had gathered and pigmasks and firemen had arrived on the scene. They all asked me what happened and I told 'em the same thing I'm telling you right now! A couple of ambulances drove in and out, and I know they rescued a few people and Lucas, and that he's alive. I've been looking for you ever since," he finished, his face grim.

Claus was utterly bewildered. Of course fate would choose today _of all freaking days_ to ruin his life even further.

Kumatora looked like she was about to cry. "Wait, seriously? That's so... terrible..." she trailed off, staring in the direction of the fire trucks. "So soon..."

Fuel took little notice of her. "So, now you explain. Where were you all day?" he asked, his face stern. "And don't even try to tell me you were helping me move wood to a new construction site."

Claus just shook his head. "I'll explain later. I didn't mean to be gone that long, though, really." He glanced at the pinkette next to him with a glare.

Kumatora puffed her cheeks out. "I said I was sorry, bastard!"

Fuel looked at her now. "Woah, hold on," he said, looking from Kumatora to Claus and back again. "You ditched Lucas for this chick? Bros before hoes, man."

Claus facepalmed while Kumatora shook her fist at him angrily. "_Huh_? What was that?" she challenged threateningly.

"Look, I don't have time for this," Claus said, ignoring Fuel's 'well you did when it was with her now didn't you' remark. "Where did they take him?"

"Who?"

"_Lucas._"

"Oh, right. But what do you mean 'where did they take him'? An ambulance took him, like I just said."

"Clinic or hospital, ass."

"Hospital, obviously."

"Okay then." And with that Claus was off, pushing people out of the way and running as fast as he could. Kumatora hesitated a moment before following him, feeling partially responsible for this boy named Lucas and his injuries.

It only took them a couple of minutes to arrive. Claus burst into the lobby with Kumatora following a few seconds later, and he slapped both his hands down on the main receptionist's desk, who looked quite surprised. "I'm here to visit someone," he said as quickly and calmly as he could, failing miserably at the latter.

She blinked at him a couple of times before turning to a clipboard next to her. "Alright then. Could I get a name? Last name first, please."

"Itoi, Lucas," he informed, taking his hands off the counter. She scanned the page before flipping it and locating the name on the second.

"Okay. What is your relationship to him?"

"I'm his brother, Claus," he said, and she nodded.

"Yes, alright. What about her?" she asked, motioning toward Kumatora. Claus looked confused; he hadn't even noticed her follow him. He looked back at her questioningly before shaking his head.

"She's a cousin. A distant cousin," he lied through his teeth, and the woman knew a fib when she heard one. She shook her head with a smile.

"You're his girlfriend, aren't you? I'm not supposed to let them in, but you go on ahead, sweetie," she said. "Room Nine, to your left."

"Thanks!" he was speed-walking away before he even finished the word. Kumatora followed suit and the two arrived at the door in a matter of seconds. Claus wasted no time in throwing the door open and hurrying inside. He stopped dead a few steps in front of the bed, unable to take his eyes away from the sight before him.

Lucas was lying on his back with blankets pulled up to his chest. It was rising and falling steadily and his expression was neutral, with his golden hair splayed out against the pillow. His right arm was fine, lying over his stomach lightly, but his left arm was completely bandaged from the shoulder down to his fingers; he could see where blood had been absorbed by it. There was a small burn on his neck, not severe enough to be bandaged, and a few assorted cuts around his neck and shoulders, with a particular gash on the right side of his face next to his ear catching his attention. There was an IV running from his right arm and a few machines sitting to the left monitored his vital signs.

Claus approached him slowly, his expression pained. He knew deep down that, somehow, this was all his fault, and it tore at him agonizingly. He loved this boy in every way possible, yet he had allowed something like this to happen to him. He wanted to touch him, to hug him and to hold him, to tell him that he was here and that it was going to be okay, to tell him he was sorry and that he wouldn't ever let something like this happen again. But he was afraid that if he did, he would only break Lucas even more.

So he settled with brushing a stray strand of hair out of the blonde's face and just looking, burning the image into his head as a reminder of this day. His hands were shaking and the red-head couldn't help but be reminded of a day nearly three years ago when he'd sworn to keep him safe.

_The wind was icy as it gusted across the graveyard, ruffling the hair and clothes of two boys kneeling in front of two small tombstones. They both donned sad expressions and had dried tears upon their cheeks. The boy with the blonde hair sighed shakily and looked up at the darkening sky._

"It's cold," Lucas said softly.

The other boy, the one with the red hair, stood up slowly. "Then let's go," Claus replied, his voice monotone.

Lucas turned his head slightly to look up at his brother, his eyes distant and unresponsive. "Where?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Home, of course."

Lucas looked back at the tombstones, the weight of his loss finally crashing down on him. He shook his head. "Not without them. I d-don't want to go without them..." he trailed off, his voice cracking. Unable to hold back his tears anymore, he finally stopped trying, leaning over and letting them fall freely. Sobs wracked his body as he shivered and blubbered uncontrollably.

Claus kneeled down next to his twin and wrapped his arms around him, pulling his shaking body close to his own and trying to calm him down. "Shh... It's alright, we're okay," he comforted as he gently rocked the blonde back and forth.

Lucas sniffled and took a deep breath. "I just... What are we going to do, Claus?" he asked the question into the other's chest, slumping into his hold. Claus patted his back but was unable to come up with an answer.

"I don't know, Luke, but whatever we do we'll do it together," he said, looking up at the sky himself to see the first few stars of the night appear. "I promise I'll protect you no matter what it takes; it's going to be okay because I'm going to make it okay." He returned his gaze to the other boy, who looked up at him with a teary smile. Claus smiled and squeezed one of his hands affectionately.

"We'll make them proud."

Claus wiped his face with his arm. He was starting to cry, and he both knew and hated it. How was he supposed to be strong for Lucas if he couldn't even stop crying? There was also Kumatora to worry about; she'd come in after him to take a look at the blonde and was now looking at him with a worried expression. He felt more dejected and useless than he had in a long time.

"Excuse me," a voice came from behind him, a voice that Claus recognized. He turned his head to face the owner of the voice. There, standing in the doorway with a grim expression on his face, stood Fassad.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kumatora's body flinch. She looked surprised, as though someone had just poked her. "Who...are you?" she asked slowly. Claus said nothing.

The black-haired man stood up straight. "I am Fassad, commander-in-chief of the Pigmask Army and head of international relations," he said, bowing deeply for good effect. "It is a pleasure to meet you, madame, but I have business with Mr. Itoi here. It's very urgent."

—**e—n—d—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

_**A/N: Bawww Lucas D: And yes their last names are Itoi. Any character whose last name I don't know I always take the creator's last name.**_

_**This chapter's pretty long, eh? I wrote it in three days. Though that doesn't make up for the fact I procrastinated for almost two months…**_

_**Reviews? Please and thank you!**_


	6. VI Goodbye Tazmily, Hello New Pork

_**Mother 3 is by no means mine.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c****—****h****—a****—p—t —e—r—**

"It's nice to meet you, madam, but I have business with Mr. Itoi here. It's very urgent."

Claus turned to face the man properly, hoping he didn't look as unnerved as he felt. "Sir?"

Fassad nodded in his direction. "Hello again, Claus," he greeted him directly now. "Terribly sorry to barge in like this, but as you know, we have a crisis in our midst. That being said, I'll need you to come with me. There are some things we must discuss," he beckoned the red-head over in his direction somberly. Claus swallowed; this couldn't be good.

He nodded silently and did as he'd been told, following him out of the ward after one last glance back at his bedridden twin. He vaguely wondered when the man had learned his last name, but then again, he was the commander of the entire Pigmask Army; the man had his ways.

While they were walking, Fassad spoke. "Do you know why I'm here, Claus?" he asked, glancing down at the boy next to him.

Claus thought for a minute. "Because of the fire, I suppose," was his answer.

Fassad returned his gaze in front of him as they exited the hospital. "A good observation. That's part of the reason, yes," he affirmed, waving at a few people out on the street who happened to notice him. "But I'm also here because of you."

Claus sighed; he'd seen this coming. "Is that so?" he asked. _What'd I do this time? _"Why me?"

Fassad laughed. It sounded strained. "Don't act like you don't know, Claus," he said amiably, folding his arms behind his back. "You've been born with the power of PK Love, that's why. You're in danger."

Claus stiffened at this. He remembered Aeolia and Ionia saying something similar to this the first time they'd met, when he'd been 'awakened'. "In danger?"

The older man nodded. "Indeed. Do you know the details of what happened tonight?"

Though Fuel had told him what had happened, he decided that it would be best to act as though he didn't. "Not really."

"Then I'd be happy to fill you in," he stopped walking here, and Claus did the same. They'd walked around to behind the hospital now, where no one could see or hear them. "You're familiar with the Shinra'ta?"

"The rebels," Claus mused.

"Correct. They're the ones behind this," Fassad said. "They were looking for you."

Claus' eyes widened. "You can't be serious," he half-gasped, looking up at him dubiously.

"No, he's right," a voice came from behind them. They both turned to see Kumatora standing there, arms crossed and foot tapping. "But I want to know how you knew that, about Claus' PSI." Claus blinked in surprise; he hadn't even noticed her following them. She could be a stalker when she wanted to be, apparently.

Fassad, however, didn't seem to be terribly surprised. "Well, well, if it isn't the other psychokinetic. Kumatora, wasn't it?" The pinkette flinched when he said her name. "I have my ways, you see," he said smugly, his fingers twisting his small black mustache around rather narcissistically. "Though, if you knew all that, you must be affiliated with a Magypsy or two."

Kumatora's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.

The black-haired man held a hand up. "Relax, I am not your enemy," he said. "Merely curious."

She stared him down for a moment more, almost as if looking for signs of falsehood before she sighed. "I just didn't expect them to make a move so _soon_," she muttered, looking away and placing her hands on her hips.

Claus, who had been struggling to try and take all this in, turned on her in appalled anger. "Wait, you _knew_ this was going to happen? And you didn't _do_ anything about it?"

Kumatora shook her head. "No, I had no idea. But I knew they would come after you eventually," she said, lowering her gaze. "That's what we were training you for!"

Claus was taken aback by that. "...Ah."

Fassad raised an eyebrow. "We? As I suspected," he smirked, stroking his chin triumphantly.

Kumatora ignored him. "So, are they still here?" she asked, her eyes glinting. "Just you watch, when I get my hands on one of those bastards..."

The older man looked to the sky. "No, they've all retreated. I sent a score of soldiers to investigate the area about forty minutes ago, and so far no one has been sighted. Those _damn chickens_, afraid of a good, clean fight..." he nearly growled, his expression souring.

Claus was only half listening. "So, basically," he began, pausing to swallow, "all of this is my fault." It was more of a statement than a question.

Neither of the other two answered right away. This only succeeded in making Claus feel even worse. He looked down at his hands forlornly. Even if it was inadvertently, had he really been the cause of all that destruction? How was he supposed to cope with something like that?

Fassad decided to speak up. "Strictly speaking, yes," he answered bluntly, causing Claus to flinch at the expected response. "However, there was nothing you could have done about it. In fact, had you been there, they would have captured you, and then we would have some _major_ problems to deal with."

"And no one blames you," Kumatora added quickly. "It's not like anyone could have known they would notice your presence so quickly."

Though they both meant to be kind, Claus didn't feel very reassured. He let his hands fall back to his sides and met Fassad's gaze once more, his green eyes serious. "Well, they've already come looking once. Who's to say they won't do it again?"

Fassad's smile returned. "That's what I wanted to speak to you about," he said vaguely. "You see, I think it would be best if you left Tazmily. At least for the time being."

Again, Claus had seen this coming. He sighed. "I thought you might say something like that," he muttered. As much as he wanted to, to prevent any further harm to Tazmily and its citizens, he couldn't bring himself to imagine leaving Lucas alone, especially in such a state as he was right now.

"Ah, but I don't know if you expected something like this," the older man continued. "I'd like you to join the ranks of our armed forces."

Okay, now _that_ he wasn't quite prepared for. His eyes nearly tripled in size and his eyebrows drew back in surprise. "H-huh?" Claus stammered, half-wondering if he'd correctly heard that last statement.

Fassad only nodded. "Yes. I feel like it would solve quite a few problems. One, you'd be out in New Pork, much better protected than out here. Two, you'd have a chance to get them back for what they've done here tonight," he paused here, smirking at the way Claus' fists and jaw clenched. "Three, you'd be a high-ranking officer and therefore would make a fine amount of money. And finally, four, we would no doubt be able to put a stop to all this Shinra'ta madness once and for all."

Claus thought for a minute to take all of that in. Protection, money, opportunities to pay those bastards back with interest... It sounded like a pretty good deal to him. But it wasn't just himself that he had to think about. He hesitated before shaking his head slowly.

"As flattered as I am by your generous offer," the red-head began, running a hand through his hair, "I'm afraid I can't accept it."

Fassad raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he asked, before a sudden look of realization crossed his face. "Oh, could this be about your brother? You don't need to worry about that; I'll make sure he has a place to stay, too."

Claus' eyebrows came together. He really didn't want to leave, but the boy knew it was an inevitability, and if Fassad was serious about all this and he was even willing to make arrangements for Lucas, then there was no way he could decline such a ridiculously generous offer! He sighed and looked up at him with what he hoped was a thankful expression. "Well, how can I say no to that?" he half-smiled, holding his right hand out.

Fassad smiled in return, taking hold of the red-head's hand and shaking it professionally. "Now that's what I wanted to hear. Good decision," he praised.

Suddenly, Kumatora, who had been standing to the side apparently deep in thought, spoke up. "'Scuse me, Mr. Fassad," she said, "but I was wondering... could I join this army too? I don't have anything else to do and I can't just idly watch as terrorists attack innocent people."

Claus looked at her in surprise, but Fassad was a little less fazed and regarded her thoughtfully. "Hmm... you can use PSI too, which is indeed a much needed talent..." he trailed of in thought.

Kumatora flexed her arm with a smirk. "Yup! I also have the physical strength to back it up. Claus has the bruises to prove it!" she cackled. Claus' cheeks reddened and he looked away, mumbling something about she must've had lessons, the damn showoff.

This seemed to cause the elder man to make up his mind, for he smiled and nodded. "Is that so? Well then, by all means, we would be happy to have you aboard," he said, extending his own hand toward the pinkette, who grinned and shook it firmly. "If it's alright with you, we'll be leaving for New Pork shortly. I need to inform our dear King P of tonight's happenings posthaste."

Kumatora took her hand back and shrugged. "That's fine. The sooner, the better."

Claus raised an eyebrow at the suddenly restless woman. "Why does it sound as if you're trying to get away from something?" he asked, though he could not blame her if she was looking forward to escaping those Magypsies. Sure, they were nice, but the red-head found them and their cross-dressing creepy as hell.

She just laughed. "Well, I kinda am. I've lived here for my whole life, just sitting at home or with Aeo and Ionia, never doing anything interesting or out of the ordinary. Even if it's just this once, I wanna be a part of something more than that, and see and do things I've never seen or done before," she responded, looking up at the night sky. "That's not weird, is it?"

Claus took a moment to consider her position, and decided that if he'd led a life like that for almost twenty years, he would've died of boredom long ago. "No, I guess not."

Fassad just smiled. "Indeed. Now, if you two will excuse me, I have a couple of things to wrap up here before we depart. Meet me at the Pigmask Tazmily Division Headquarters in twenty minutes," he said, turning on his heel rather abruptly and walking away, holding a hand up above his head as a dismissal and a goodbye. The addressed duo watched him leave, though neither of them took much note of the almost indiscernible limp he sported as he turned the corner and left their field of vision.

Kumatora stared at the spot he'd disappeared at. "Something about that guy rubs me the wrong way," she said darkly, turning around to face the other exit. "As far as I know, there aren't any Magypsies affiliated with the Pigmask Army. How the hell did he know about them?"

Claus shrugged. "Maybe he got the information from one of the enemy Magypsy?" he suggested, lingering a bit longer before following the pinkette out into the main street again. "He's a little formal, but he gets right to the point and doesn't lie to your face. Well, that or maybe he's just a pro at it," he continued, pausing as Kumatora had just done, looking around. "He doesn't seem all that bad. Hey, what are we looking for?"

Kumatora was quiet for a moment, finishing her quick scan of the street before frowning with a huff. "Damn, that guy's quick. I was wondering what kind of 'errands' he might have been talking about," she sighed, apparently upset with a foiled attempt at stalking the man.

Claus laughed. He would never understand the pink-haired woman. "You know, you don't have to stalk everyone you come in contact with," he pointed out, starting away from the town's central square, which was where Kumatora had been headed. "You have to learn to trust people until they give you a reason not to."

Kumatora scoffed at him before following his lead, jogging to catch up. "You would say that, you naive brat. What are you, thirteen? Feh. And where are we going, anyway?"

Claus glared at the taller pinkette. "Fifteen, thank you very much! I'm probably the least naive person in this entire town! I'm going back to the hospital to see if Lucas has woken up yet. You don't have to come."

Kumatora's demeanor immediately softened at the mention of that poor blonde boy she'd seen Claus nearly cry over back in the hospital. She looked down at the ground, still following the red-head. "No, it's fine. I don't have anything else to do anyway." When Claus didn't respond, she tried to break the slightly awkward silence. "So... he's your big brother?" she guessed.

Claus laughed a little. "No, I'm the older one. We're twins, actually," he answered as he pushed the hospital's front door open for the second time that evening. Holding it open for Kumatora, he noticed there were several people loitering in the waiting area and was surprised to see Fuel standing in front of the counter, talking to the receptionist. The brunette must have heard the door open, for he glanced back and did a double take when he realized who it was.

"Hey, Fuel," Claus greeted as he walked toward them, his expression kind of irritated. "What's up, man? You look pissed off."

He sighed and shook his head. "It's nothing much, but if you're here to see Lucas, you might as well leave," he said, causing Claus' eyebrow to raise. "They're starting the treatment of his left arm and foot now, so no one goes in to visit until sometime tomorrow. From what I can tell, his foot is pretty much shattered and it's gonna take quite a while to heal."

Knowing that his twin's injury was almost entirely his fault made Claus want to vomit, but he managed to keep his tone level in spite of his guilt and anger. "Damn, that really blows..." he lamented, frowning deeply and putting his hands in his pockets. "...If that's true, then I need you to tell him something for me tomorrow," he told Fuel, who immediately opened his mouth to question.

"What do you mean? It's not like you won't be here tomorrow," he said, his expression critical. "You can't just avoid him, y'know."

Claus shook his head. "It's more complicated than that," he retorted, a little sharply. _Why would Fuel think I'd deliberately avoid Lucas? I'm not _that_ damn immature._ He cleared his throat. "As a matter of fact, I won't be here tomorrow. I won't be back for a while. I need you to tell him that I'm sorry, and that I'll explain everything soon."

Fuel's eyes widened. "You're leaving? Now, of all times?" he asked incredulously. "He needs you now more than ever!"

Claus cringed. Yeah, he knew that. "Which is why I need you to help me out here," he replied, his voice having lost a lot of it's confidence. "Just... could you check up on him for me? Every day— hell, just every other day'd be fine," he continued, his expression pained. He wished he himself could do it, he really did. But if he didn't leave as soon as possible, those Shinra'ta bastards would come back looking for him, this time with no mercy. "Please, Fuel."

The boy looked nonplussed. "But where are you planning to go? And why?"

The red-head sighed. "I told you, I'll explain later. Now I really have to get going," he said, turning around to exit the building. Kumatora, who had been standing behind them listening to the whole exchange, moved to the side so he could pass.

Fuel was outraged. "What, seriously? You can't just leave!" his voice rose, attracting most of the other people's attention.

"Goodbye, Fuel," was all he responded with, pushing the door open and letting in the slightly chilly breeze from outside.

But Fuel wasn't about to let Claus get off that easy. The brunette lunged forward and caught him by the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him back a little and stopping his journey out effectively. "Are you an _idiot_? Don't you think he deserves to know _why_?" he lost his composure for a moment and shouted, causing all heads in the room to turn and look at the two, some with frowns and some with worried expressions. Fuel looked around sheepishly, realizing how loud his voice had gotten.

Claus made a noise somewhere between a growl and a sigh; he knew it was useless to expect Fuel to not ask questions. He grabbed the other boy's arm and pulled him out the open door with him, not bothering to hold the door open for Kumatora.

The pinkette looked at everyone apologetically. "Sorry. Family issues," she said lamely before following the two out the door quickly.

Outside in front of the hospital, Claus more or less explained the situation to a more than shocked Fuel, leaving out everything about PSI and the like. He also admitted that yes, he had been with Kumatora for the day (for a martial arts lesson was his excuse, which was technically not that big of a lie), but had been unconscious for most of it. The brunette seemed very skeptical, but went along with it anyway.

"...The army, seriously?" he asked for the third time, much to Claus' annoyance. "But I thought you hated anything and everything that had to do with the King."

The red-head ground his teeth. Him and his big damn mouth... "So I over dramatize things a bit sometimes. That was then, this is now," he said quickly.

"And by that you mean they bribed you somehow, am I right?"

"_No_. I get a lot of benefits, including nearly ten times the DP I make now and the chance to get those bastards back for what they did. He asked me according to those terms. How am I supposed to turn down that kind of offer?"

The other boy ignored his point, frowning. "I still don't see why you have to leave, though. Didn't you hear about that entire squad of troops that died? You can easily find an apartment at the complex up by the train station, you still have a job to go back to, and you both are still alive and well, for the most part! It isn't the end of the—"

It was like talking to a brick wall. Claus' temper overflowed and he lashed out. "Dammit, Fuel, you don't understand! I don't _want_ to leave. I _have_ to! There's no if's, and's, or but's about it!" he shouted, his voice dangerously irate. "If I stay, _everyone_ will be in danger, so however you look at it, the situation's better if I just go. Just leave it at that." He closed his eyes and managed to calm himself down with the last sentence.

Both Fuel and Kumatora stared at him with wide eyes silently, surprised at the teen's almost instantaneous anger. It was a long moment before the brunette decided to speak up again.

"You know you guys are like brothers to me, man," he said, his voice low and soft. He lowered his head slightly. "I'm just worried about the both of you. Are you sure you're going to be okay with this?" he asked, looking back up at his friend.

Claus exhaled heavily and shrugged his shoulders. "It'll be fine. Not like I have much other choice anyway."

Another moment of silence. "...if you're positive," Fuel concluded, nodding his head slightly as if he'd decided on something. He looked at the red-head face-to-face now.

Claus nodded his own head and extended his hand out toward him, a little half-smile forming on his lips. "I guess this is farewell for now," he said with a playfully formal tone. "Be sure to talk to Lucas for me as soon as you can, if you'd be so kind."

Fuel raised his eyebrow at the hand and smiled back at him. "Dummy," he muttered before taking the hand and pulling the red-head into a bro-hug, patting his back a few times. "See you, man. And be careful; if you end up dying out there, I'll have to kill you."

Claus laughed. "I have no such intentions, good sir," he replied, stepping away from the hug as Fuel did the same. He turned slightly, signaling his departure. "Bye," was his final word, raising his hand up by his head as a goodbye gesture. Kumatora followed him as he walked away, headed to the north side of town.

They walked on for a minute in near silence, the only audible sounds being their footsteps and the occasional one or two passerby out on the streets. It had gotten pretty late with only the moon and streetlights as suitable sources of light, so most reasonable people were at home, getting ready for bed. The quiet unnerved Kumatora, so she asked a question in hopes of spurring up some kind of conversation. "We're going to meet the Fassad guy now, right?"

Claus didn't even bother to turn around, answering her question without a glance. "That was the plan," he said, "unless you're having second thoughts?" He chuckled after the last part, teasing the pinkette.

She sucked her cheeks in, frowning childishly. "You wish," she quipped, rolling her eyes when Claus suppressed another laugh. There was another lapse in conversation during which the duo crossed a street and continued northward on the sidewalk before Kumatora decided to speak up again.

"So, uh... about today..."

"Don't mention it," Claus cut her off, apparently expecting an apology of some sort.

Kumatora shook her head, even though the red-head in front of her wouldn't have been able to see the gesture anyway. "I am sorry about it, but that's not what I was going to say," she said, quickening her pace. "I was just wondering... what did you have to do today anyway?"

By then she had made her way up to Claus' side, and she saw his eyes widen a bit, like he was taken aback. Which he had a right to be; it was a pretty random question on her part. After a moment, though, they returned to a half-lidded state and he smiled a smile devoid of any happiness. "Oh, that," he said, lowering his head a little bit. "Today's the third anniversary of our parents' death."

This made Kumatora stop in her tracks, staring at the red-head with wide eyes and jaw agape. Claus took notice of this and halted himself as well, though he didn't look back at or attempt to say anything else to her. Not that she'd been expecting anything in particular, but that was the _last_ thing she would have guessed. She looked down, abashed at herself for bringing up such a sensitive topic.

"...I-I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She couldn't think of anything else to say to the boy.

"Don't be," he responded, his voice monotone. "You had no idea, and it's my fault anyway. I should've been more proactive about it."

They both stood there in morbid silence until Kumatora decided it was probably best if they got going, as they weren't too far off from the Headquarters now. When he heard her footsteps resume, he started walking again too, staying a few steps ahead of her. All that was left was the empty street ahead of them, which the duo quickly traversed.

They turned the corner and there it was; four stories high and considerably wide, it's dark purple paint made it stand out from the town's predominantly light, warm color scheme. There were a few white spikes sticking out of each side, further identifying it as an important, if not weird, building. The front entrance was a double door made of blue-tinted glass, as all the windows on the place were as well. Since this part of town held nothing of use to him, he had never really gone up there much, so it was Claus' first time seeing it. Seeing as how Kumatora didn't live in the town to begin with, she'd never seen it before either. They both stared up at it inconceivably as they approached.

"What in the unholy hell...?" Claus murmured, his face contorted with an emotion somewhere between disgust and awe.

Kumatora's expression was similar, but she looked amused as well. "They don't have the best curb appeal," she smirked, staring at the spikes in particular. "Though I suppose they aren't trying to come off as friendly and carefree."

Claus stared for a moment more before shaking his head. "Whatever, let's just get in there," he said, leading the way into the building. The doors automatically opened for them as they got close, startling them both for a second, but the continued in all the same.

The inside of the building wasn't as foreboding or quirky as the outside. There was a simple brown counter in the back housing a male receptionist and a couple of secretaries behind him, typing furiously on keyboards to input information into the computer boxes in front of them. The walls were painted a melancholy gray color and a couple of hallways on either side opened up into the interior of the place, and one could see other desks and workspaces, roughly a fourth of them currently being used. People in uniforms of varying color hustled and bustled about, some lacking the titular mask they usually donned. No one noticed the two enter save for a pink pigmask, complete with mask and all, sitting on a waiting chair next to the entrance. It looked up and immediately rose, bowing slightly in greeting.

"Good evening," it said. The voice was masculine, but not very gruff, instead sounding formal and deep. "Mister Claus and Miss Kumatora, I assume?" he extended a hand out Claus first.

The red-head took the hand, shaking it politely. "Yes, sir, that's us," he confirmed as the pigmask moved on to shake Kumatora's hand.

He returned his hand to his side. "Wonderful. It's a pleasure to meet you, but I have specific orders to show you two to Commander Fassad as soon as possible. Shall we?" he motioned, beckoning them to follow behind him as he started toward the left hallway. Claus and Kumatora shared a look and a shrug before following.

The pair was guided through the hallway, passing numerous cramped work spaces as they progressed. There were a few people digging around in filing cabinets and retrieving printed information, but other than that it was quite empty and barren. They reached a set of stairs and proceeded to climb them.

They emerged on the second floor, which looked identical to the first, the only exception being that there wasn't a soul in sight. The only sound in the room was the distant hum of an air conditioning unit and the tapping of their feet as they climbed another flight of stairs.

The third floor was a nice change of pace, though. The walls, instead of a dark gray, were a warm burgundy color and it was a big, open section of the floor with a big wooden table in the middle adorned by a plethora of chairs spanning the perimeter of it. It was reminiscent of a conference room. There was a thick wall separating this room from the other, and from what Claus could see from his position, it was a research area laden with books and files on who-knows-what.

Fassad and a white pigmask with a long cape stood on the opposite side of the big table, discussing something in quiet voices probably due to the few subordinates rummaging around in the other room, looking for things. It was then that Fassad noticed them, and with a smile he waved them all over to him, the white pigmask turning to look at them through his mask.

"Well hello again!" he greeted them genially as soon as they were close enough. "You two are actually right on time. Thank you," he said, nodding to their escort, who stood at attention and uttered a short "Sir!" before departing back from whence he came. The dark-haired man waited until he was down the stairs once again before continuing. "You two have everything sorted out for the most part, yes?" he asked. They both nodded, Claus finding the question rather pointless, because his home and all of the possessions he'd had had been destroyed in the fire. There really was nothing _to_ sort out.

Fassad moved his head up and down with approval. "Very good. In that case, we'll be leaving momentarily. Ike, if you would."

The caped pigmask saluted him. "Sir!" he said before heading away. Fassad turned to actually face them now, but before he could say what he'd aimed to, Claus asked a question of his own.

"Sir," he began, "I don't mean to be a bother, but I need to make sure... You've made arrangements for him? My brother, I mean?"

Fassad chuckled. "Oh, yes, I just did. I don't blame you for asking either; watching out for your brother comes first and foremost, doesn't it?" he asked rhetorically, smiling. "That's the first step toward selflessness, a much needed character trait in this line of work." He waved his hands dismissively. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. If you two would, come with me," he said, moving in the same direction the pigmask Ike had before him. Claus and Kumatora followed him to the stairwell leading up to the fourth floor, ascending them quickly.

Once they made it up, it was clear that the fourth floor was nothing more than a storage area. It was dark and musty all around. There were boxes of varying sizes and shape as far as the eye could see, the contents of which were a mystery. But their destination was not here, because Fassad made no move to stop, making his way to yet another set of stairs. Claus was confused; he could've sworn that this building only had four floors.

At the top of the stairs there was a door, one which their black-haired escort opened in a single movement. Claus discovered that he had been right; they were now on the roof. Sitting in the middle of a huge white dot on said roof sat an elongated dark purple car, sleek and fancy looking, a lot different from most other cars Claus had ever seen. An albino pigmask with a billowing cape (Claus assumed it was the one from before, Ike) was standing at the back end of it.

Kumatora smirked. "Well, you certainly do travel stylishly," she commented as they got closer to it.

Fassad grinned too. "I like to think so. It's only used when we need to get from one place to another very quickly, however."

The red-head was baffled. "But what good does a car do you on top of a roof?" he asked, looking around. "How did it even _get_ up here, anyway?"

Fassad chuckled as the pigmask opened the door for them, holding it open as he climbed in. "You'll see momentarily," was all he said, gesturing for them to follow. Kumatora went first as Claus took a last curious look around before doing the same. The door slammed shut behind him.

The interior was nice and chic: there were two rows of seats, facing each other with a few feet in between them consisting of fine black leather. The sides and top of the car were a light gray and there was a small light in the middle, illuminating the space efficiently. Fassad was currently buckling himself in on the row of seats closest to the driver, so Kumatora and Claus sat themselves on the opposite row, with one seat in between them. "You may want to hold on," the older man said. The younger two exchanged a look before they each took hold of their respective arm rests.

"Are you all set, sir?" a voice from an intercom above their heads asked.

Fassad pushed a little button on the side of the car. "Yes, proceed," he answered.

The car lurched and started to rumble as the driver started the ignition. Both Claus and Kumatora flinched. Claus had ridden in a car once, and it was only because Fuel had wanted to show off his new driver's license and skill in the company truck. He was later scolded by his father for it because what if he'd crashed or done something to it and damaged their only truck and jeopardized the business, you moron? Needless to say, that had been the first and last time of that.

But then there was something different. After a brief pause, there was a loud noise and the whole car seemed to lift right off the roof. Claus tensed and Kumatora jumped, but that isn't why they both cried out in shock. Oh, no, they both cried out in shock because the car instantaneously set off like a rocket, not upward but northward, slamming them back into their seats in the process. As soon as the initial shock of it all dissipated, Claus' head shot toward the window on his side, his mouth agape and eyes practically bulging out of his head. "Oh...my God..." he gasped slowly, seeing Tazmily's few lights quickly decrease in size as they sped up and away into the night sky. "We're _flying_. We're actually _flying_!"

Kumatora was in a similar state, staring out her own window in wonder. "Well I'll be damned..." she breathed.

Fassad chuckled to himself at their awe. "It's quite breathtaking, isn't it?" he said, reclining back into his chair. "The first time is always the best."

Neither of the younger two were really listening, being too intent on discerning different landmarks as the flying limousine sped by them at an astounding speed. The moon illuminated the land just enough to see the outlines of hills, trees, and mountains, among other things like the Osohe Castle, abandoned long ago after it's king and everyone residing there died of mysterious circumstances.

After a few minutes Claus became dizzy and returned his gaze inside the car to see that Kumatora had already done so and was fiddling with the strings hanging from her hoodie's collar for lack of anything else to do. There was a moment of silence.

Seeing that their attention was now more or less free now, Fassad spoke. "Once we arrive I'll be registering you two into the system, and you'll begin basic recruit training tomorrow at six o'clock sharp. Although I haven't fully decided yet and I'll need to speak with the King, I believe you two will be in separate squadrons so as to spread out our arsenal accordingly..." he trailed off when he noticed that once again neither the pinkette nor red-head were paying attention, instead staring out the window nearest Claus, clearly stunned and impressed faces illuminated by the manmade light coming from outside.

"Holy shit," Claus whispered, almost speechless.

He couldn't help but smile. "I see we're nearly there," he noted, chuckling. "Welcome to New Pork City."

—**e—n—d—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r**—

_**A/N: Well this is certainly an unexpected turn of events, huh? And I thought Kumatora'd be a minor character…**_

_**Reviews make me smile! You don't want me to **_**frown**_**, do you? :B See you with the next installment~**_


	7. VII Grin and Bear it

_**DISCLAIMER: How many times must I say it? I don't own any of the Mother/EarthBound franchise. I just claim the plot as my own.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Claus stared out his window with wide eyes and mouth, like a little kid visiting his first candy store. For being so late at night, it was amazing, how many lights and cars he could see. Buildings towered over the city, though not nearly as high up as they were, and the streets interlaced like a delicate spiderweb, each one there for one reason or another. The city itself was spread out for quite an impressive ways; Claus couldn't see the end of it over the horizon, just a sea of dark buildings and bright lights.

"Well, I'll be damned," Kumatora muttered, right above the redhead and staring out the window just as impressed. "This is New Pork?"

Fassad nodded, but neither of the two gaping out the window saw. "Indeed. It's pretty nice, wouldn't you say? Though it's quite a change from your village."

"I'll say," Claus breathed, still in disbelief. He could see people walking around outside too, illuminated by the abundant streetlights, out so late at night. They looked like ants, walking into different buildings or crossing streets, doing what needed to be done. Said streetlights illuminated the lower parts of these places, revealing either purple, white, gray and the occasional brown walls holding them up. In fact, the whole city seemed to have a fascination with the color purple; The street signs were all purple, all the major roads were of a dark purple color, and even the sky seemed purple from the glow of the lights. It all seemed like a scene out of a sci-fi book, or a really weird dream.

"Preparing to land," the voice from the intercom informed with a crackle.

"I suggest you two hold on to something," the black-haired man addressed them, though he himself didn't move. Kumatora sat back in her seat and they both buckled back up and held on to their respective armrests.

Then, a sudden lurch. The vehicle they rode in suddenly dropped, decelerating and lowering in altitude, preparing to land somewhere. Claus looked out the window for a moment before deciding that watching their decent would make him dizzy and returning his gaze inside. Fassad chuckled.

They slowed so much in the air they came to a complete halt, slowly sinking in the air so as not to break anything or hurt anyone upon impact. The boy couldn't help but look out the window again, relieved to find a solid surface not ten feet below them. A few moments later they jumped at the contact with the ground, both of the younger two happy to finally be on the ground again. Flying was terribly...weird. In Claus' opinion, if you weren't born with wings, you shouldn't need or try to fly.

When the door was opened for them, Claus stumbled out onto the pavement and had an urge to kiss the ground. "Flying automobiles," he said, putting a hand to his forehead. "Now I think I've seen everything."

Fassad merely laughed. "Oh, but you've only just arrived! No, my boy, I think you'll see plenty more with your time here," he winked at him before exiting the car, Kumatora following him out.

"I knew that New Pork was advanced and all, much more so than Tazmily, but I would have never guessed this much..." the pinkette observed, looking around her curiously. "Where are we, anyway?"

At this, Claus decided to look around too. What he saw was a huge two-story building, gray in color, that they had just landed in front of. It was well-lit and guards stood posted around it every one hundred feet or so. Towers stood a fair ways away around it, also lit up, and these towers sat just inside a fence that stretched around the entire area, allowing no one entry.

"This is the Pigmask Army Main Headquarters, of course," he answered her, as if this was extremely common knowledge. "It doesn't look like much from outside, but the inside will make up for that, don't worry." With that he and the albino pigmask set off for the building, expecting the young duo behind them to follow. Kumatora and Claus exchanged a look before shrugging in unison and trailing behind them.

It took a minute to reach the entrance, them having to walk a little out of the way, but they eventually made it to two glass doors that opened automatically as the foursome came close. As he crossed the threshold, Claus was again looking around with curious eyes. The interior was surprisingly white, camouflaging their caped white pigmask escort quite well. There was a long counter in front of them with a few people working unmasked, either writing or typing away on a keyboard. Employees and pigmasks alike walked along the corridor, each going their own separate ways. It didn't really look much like the headquarters of a fearsome army to the boy.

Fassad dismissed the white pigmask, who grunted and saluted in response, before walking up to a pretty brown-haired girl working on a computer. She glanced up before halting her work completely, eyes wide and stammering. "O-oh, good evening, Fassad, sir!" she also saluted him, looking as if this was the first time she'd ever seen him.

Fassad smiled. "And good evening to you. I have two special recruits here with me. Would you be so kind as to ready some paperwork for them?" he asked her, and she nodded furiously.

"Right away!" her brown hair bobbed as she began pattering away on her keyboard for a moment before reaching into a filing cabinet beside her and pulling out two packets, handing them to the black-haired man before her.

"Thank you very much," he took the documents and nodded to her in appreciation, ignoring her stuttery exclaim of 'n-no problem, sir', picking two pens from a cup on the counter and handing one of each to both youngsters behind him. "Fill these out as best you can. I need to take care of a few things first. I'll meet you back here in about ten minutes," he said, leaving them without another word.

Kumatora stared off after him. "He's a busy man, isn't he?" she said, before taking a seat in one of the chairs behind her and began to read the packet of information quietly.

Claus agreed with a simple affirmative grunt before sitting down beside her, reading through his own stack of papers. He uncapped his pen and started filling out the questionnaire. The first few were easy. Full name. Claus Alec Itoi. Date of birth. June eighteenth, nineteen fifty-two. Gender. Male. But then the questions got rather weird. Do you have any genetic disorders? Have you gotten all your vaccinations? What is your current level of education? He and Lucas had never been to school, their mother having taught them everything they knew. She died before she could enlist them in a public school. "Hey, Kumatora. Do you know what a 'genetic disorder' is?"

The addressed pinkette shrugged. "No idea," she answered, not even looking up at him.

After he struggled his way through the packet, skipping a lot of questions that he didn't understand and signing things he didn't really bother to read, he saw Fassad return to them out of the corner of his eyes. When he looked up at him, the man smiled at them. "Hello again. I assume the packets weren't too troublesome?" he asked, glancing at Claus' less-than-stellar work on the first page. He frowned, though one could tell he was amused. "It'll have to do," he concluded, taking both stacks of paper up before beckoning them to come with him.

They walked through a couple of rooms, rooms that looked similar to the one they were just in, before coming to a halt in front of what looked to be metal doors. He pressed a button next to them and waited for a minute before the doors opened, revealing a very small room behind it. They followed him into this room, and once inside the man pressed another button. The doors closed and the younger two jumped a mile and grabbed onto each other when the room started to go down into the ground abruptly. Fassad laughed.

"It's called an elevator," he informed them as they let go of each other embarrassedly. "You'd better get used to them; you'll use them a lot here."

They continued down for a minute until the elevator slowed to a halt. The doors opened and they stepped out into a very wide room holding about a dozen pigmasks, some with their masks on but most without, and they all just sat in little scattered groups of two or three, chatting and just lounging around. Those who did notice Fassad quickly jumped to their feet and saluted, said man ignoring them and continuing down to a narrow hallway. Through this hallway they went, making their way to a door labeled 'Men's Bunks'. Here he stopped, turning to face the redhead behind him. "Alright, here we are. Room 116A is yours. I'd get to sleep quickly; you're going to be getting up early tomorrow, at five o'clock sharp." He looked at Kumatora now. "Now come along with me, missy, and we'll find your quarters..." he waved her back the way they'd come.

Kumatora gave him a last look before she was ushered away, leaving the boy all alone in a strange place. He sighed. Starting to rethink his whole brilliant plan, he opened the door and found himself in yet another narrow hallway lined with a plethora of small doors, each with labels of their very own. He walked his way down, scanning the walls for his number. 113A, 114A, 115A... Ah, there it was. 116A. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

It was better than he'd expected. A carpeted floor, a comfy-enough looking bed, bedside table, dresser, another door Claus assumed led to a closet, a light to his right that he flipped on to get a better look. The only two drawbacks were the lack of a window and the size of the room—pretty small. Oh well, he could live with that. Walking over to the bed to get a better look at the digital clock that lay there, he noticed it was already a quarter to twelve. And he had to get up at five o'clock. Great.

He sighed, turned off the light he'd turned on and shrugged out of his shirt and shorts, burrowing his way under the covers of his bed. Screw the shower, he'd do that later. Besides, he had nothing to sleep in. Or did he? He hadn't checked the dresser... Either way, he couldn't be bothered to move anymore. He was suddenly aware of a nagging tiredness and he closed his eyes, focusing on sleep and nothing more.

It came to him quickly.

_-asdfjkl;-_

He was awoken by a not-so-subtle slamming of a fist on his door. _BANG BANG BANG_. "Itoi, when I come in there, you had better be awake," a gruff, pissed off voice spoke from the other side. Claus shot up from his pillow, fully awake and bewildered as to what in the world was going on.

The door opened, revealing a man looking no older than thirty or so, with short dark hair and cold navy blue eyes. He wore a white caped pigmask uniform, having everything except his mask on him. He looked like someone who had quite a bit of authority. The man took one look around the room and his frown deepened, spotting Claus in the bed and staring up at him outlandishly. "You do realize that it's ten past five, right?" he asked the boy, whose green eyes darted to the clock beside him. The man shook his head. "I can't believe this," he muttered to himself, shaking his head before staring at the redhead sternly. "I realize that you got in late last night and that this is your first day, but you won't get off so lucky in the future. Now, you'll pick up your dirty clothes, throw them in the chute, grab a uniform and be outside in three minutes. Understood?"

Claus just nodded.

The man looked like he wanted to facepalm. "You say 'Yes, sir'," he said before stepping back out of the room, allowing the boy privacy once again. Claus immediately jumped out of bed, grabbing his clothes and heading into the bathroom, identifying the chute the man had spoke of and dropping his clothes down without a second thought. He was too busy internally raging over how rude that man had been. True, he was probably much higher on the rankings list than him, and he was admittedly late for whatever it was that he was getting up for... He sighed, opening his drawers. He found a couple of uniforms, each of them exactly the same as the next. He pulled one out and got dressed in a hurry, not bothering to raise any eyebrows at said uniform's design. Locating socks and a pair of brown loafers, he tugged them both on, looking at himself in the mirror next to his dresser. He had on a long-sleeve white undershirt and a pink sweater vest on top, bearing a pig nose symbol on the right breast with the letters N and P below it. On his legs he had pink loose-fitting uniform pants of matching color, a thick brown belt with the same pig nose on its buckle, and of course the shoes he'd found. One interesting thing of note was a silk band attached to the right arm of his undershirt reading '0934'.

Then he remembered that he had a time limit of sorts. Running his hands through his thick red hair, he made do with the traditional ducktail his hair always seemed to morph into and took three strides to reach the door. Opening it, he was met by two people; the dark-haired man who'd woken him up and a woman, about his height, with long brown hair wrapped into a bun and glasses on her freckled nose. She had been busy writing on a clipboard she held in her hands, but when the door opened she along with the man looked at him. She smiled at him while the man's face stayed locked into a frown.

"Just on time. It would probably help in the future to set your alarm," he suggested roughly, his demeanor intimidating the boy. "Anyway, I think I've seen enough for now. If you'd be so kind, Delaney," he said, presumably to the woman beside him, before he started away, his cape floating behind him.

He was a few steps away when Claus finally worked up the courage to say something. "Who—who are you?" he asked, curious to learn his name so he could stay away from him in the future.

The man paused and turned around. "A legitimate question. I am Ike Thompson, Brigadier General of the Pigmask Army and the temporary commander of it's A squadron." As Claus opened his mouth to ask another question, he rolled his eyes. "And yes, I am the same pigmask that you met briefly last night. Now if you'll excuse me, we both have things to do right now," he said, resuming his walk away. Claus stared after him. He didn't know anything about the army or it's ranks, but he assumed that Brigadier General was a big deal.

He looked back at the woman, who was still smiling, though she looked a little exasperated at Ike's behavior. "Sorry about him," she said, bowing a bit in apology. "He's usually a lot...easier to be around than that. Anyway, I'm Delaney Smith, Colonel of the Pigmask Army and the lieutenant commander of the A squadron." She bowed again. "I'm here to give you a tour of sorts and escort you to your training. Shall we?" she asked, beckoning him along with her. Claus answered with one word and did as she asked. At least she was the one he'd follow for the day, and not Ike.

And thus started the tour. Claus learned that the big room from yesterday was the lounge, where people gathered if they had free time on their hands relax a little bit by either watching a big video box attached to the wall (more like a video screen, Claus thought) or reading one of the hundreds of books there were on the shelves in the very back of the room.

They stopped in the refectory for something for Claus to eat, as he hadn't had breakfast yet. He munched on the bagel he'd chosen as Delaney led him around, explaining all the rooms thoroughly, their purpose, and if he was allowed there or not. She answered all his questions with very informative replies. Yes, they were underground, on the very bottom floor of it, in fact. There were four below-ground floors, one for each squadron, A, B, C, and D. The first floor was mainly an intel gathering kind of place, where meetings took place and plans were formed. The second floor was merely storage, for weapons of all kinds.

"So," Claus began yet another question as they walked down another one of the place's many halls. He just knew he'd be helplessly lost without a map of some kind. "You know Kumatora, right? The other new recruit?"

Delaney thought for a moment before nodding. "Ah, yes, the pink-haired girl. Yes, I'm familiar with her. Why?"

Claus put his hands in his pockets. "Well, I was just wondering where she was."

Delaney laughed. "That's understandable. I take it you two are friends?"

Claus shrugged. "More or less."

She giggled. "I see. Well, she's in the B squadron for tactical purposes. Putting two PSI users into one squadron wouldn't be a good idea, just in case we needed to deploy two to different areas at the same time. So we've spread you out."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. What rank is she?"

"She's a first-class private, just like you. Although that's only temporary. As soon as you can prove your worth, you'll each be upgraded to your permanent status."

"I see. Are there a lot of those, first-class privates?"

"Mmm, there are about fifteen in each squadron. Why?"

"I just haven't seen any of these uniforms on anyone else."

"Oh, that's because it's a recruit uniform. It'll be replaced with a regular private uniform in a week or so, just like everyone else's."

"Ah."

They both lapsed into silence after that, Claus just taking his surroundings in and Delaney scribbling things on her clipboard from time to time. The halls were basically empty, with everyone else presumably out training or working out or whatever. It made Claus wonder about his own training. What exactly would it entail? Nothing too bad, he hoped. He was still sore from his one morning of exercise with Kumatora.

The woman in front of him stopped rather abruptly, causing Claus to nearly ram into her back. They were just in front of a large door that read 'EX03A'. She turned and smiled at him. "Well, this is where I'll have to leave you. Your training will begin here, where you'll hone your skills a bit. After that, you're going to work out for a minimum of two hours, logging it with this key," she said, handing him a small rectangular card with a black strip on the back. "The general gym is just down this hall; it'll be labeled as such. ...don't worry, it'll make sense when you get there," she laughed, patting him on the back. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you'll get used to it!"

Claus just nodded, pocketing the key and shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, probably. Thanks for the tour and everything, it was real helpful."

She bowed. "It was my pleasure. If you need anything else after this, you'll know where to find me," she said before turning and walking away.

Claus just stood there for a moment before shaking his head and telling himself to open the door already. Turning the knob, he opened it tentatively, wondering just what kind of training he was in for.

Upon seeing the room's one occupant, he was both relieved and perplexed. "K-Kumatora?"

The pinkette was sitting on the floor, legs crossed over each other, eyes closed and appearing to be asleep. She wore the exact same outfit he did, with the exception of her number: 0933. At the sound of his voice she opened an eyes and smiled at the redhead. "You're late," she observed, closing her eyes again.

Claus blinked. "Sure...but what are you doing here?" he asked, looking around. "And where's everyone else?"

She opened both her eyes this time. "What do you mean, everybody else? It's just you and me, one on one PSI practice."

Oh. That's what Delaney had meant by 'honing skills'. "...Oh. But why do you have to do it?"

She stood up, dusting her butt off. "Because Fassad asked me to. And because we're apparently the only PSI users in the entire army."

This took Claus aback. "Huh? Only? But I heard—"

"That they had PSI users to combat the Shinra'ta's? So did I. Apparently it was only a bluff."

"Then how the hell do they even know about it?"

"That's what I asked him," she said, yawning and stretching her back as far as she could. "He said, 'We have our ways.'"

This made Claus absolutely furious. How in the world could this King P guy, who claimed to care about his people so much, possibly rely on something as baseless as a bluff? What would have happened to them all if the Shinra'ta had decided to go ahead and attack anyway? They wouldn't stand much of a chance against them then. Unless the Shinra'ta's PSI was also a fluke? Claus shook his head, sighing. War was confusing.

"But they have PSI users now, and that's what counts!" Kumatora exclaimed, breaking Claus' train of thought. "So let's get working on yours and show them how it's done!"

Claus couldn't help but tease her a little bit. "But what if I don't want to have you as a partner, and I just want to practice on my own?"

Kumatora smiled sweetly. "Then I guess you'll just have to grin and bear it, huh? General's order's, punk." The pinkette laughed before she started darting around the room, grabbing miscellaneous items from different places in an effort to accomplish something. What this was, Claus was not sure.

But in a few minutes, he began to see. Out of two poles, two weights and spare pieces of clothing, she had constructed two dummy-like objects, standing side by side and about a yard away from each other. She stood beside him, chest puffed out in triumph over her ingenuity. "Now first, we'll practice your PK Love. Use it on the left dummy and let's see what it'll actually do damage-wise."

"Okay." Claus took a moment to remember what he had to do in order to make the technique successful. Focus, picture it in your mind, and unleash it. Imagining what he'd seen the first time he'd used it, he cast everything else in his brain aside and put every ounce of attention into the movement of his hand and he held it out facing the correct dummy. "PK Love," he commanded.

On cue, blue streaks of compressed magical energy shot from his palm and rocketed towards his target, whizzing through the air. As they hit, they tore through the cloth Kumatora had placed on them and changed color from blue to pink to yellow as they traveled down the length of the pole, ripping small holes in all the fabric it touched before dissipating upon hitting the weight at the bottom.

The total damage left Claus more than a little unimpressed. If this power was so hard to come by, one would think that it'd be at least a bit more...destructive.

Kumatora, on the other hand, seemed pleased. "Nice," she commented, approaching the pole to inspect the tears and holes left behind by the spell.

"Nice? That barely did anything, and it was only a pile of clothes tied to a metal pole!" Claus scoffed, flexing his left hand grumpily. Was that really the extent of his power?

Kumatora laughed. "First of all, while PK Love is technically an offensive move, it's primary purpose is to channel your energy into one of the Seven Needles and allow you to pull it. The energy can damage anything that isn't one of them, but it's said to be tough to master and level up. The more you practice with it, the better it'll be, I'm sure." She poked a finger through one of the ripped pieces of cloth. "Besides, the metal kind of nullified it. It was more powerful than it seemed."

Claus just stared at her. She really sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Her mood was also infectious; he felt more pumped now than he had at first, though that might've been attributed to the sudden use of energy just now. "...I see. How do you know that?"

The pinkette giggled. "Did you forget I grew up with magypsies? Aeolia told me all about it."

Ah, right. Claus' brows knitted at the thought of the transsexual beings.

Kumatora approached him once more. "Well, that was good. Try a PK Fire on the other dummy, and remember to make it burn."

"Right." The fact that he could make that fire _not_ burn still baffled the boy, but questioning unexplainable phenomena was pointless. He held his hand out, the inside of it facing the sky, and took a deep breath, picturing as accurate a depiction of Hell as he could. "PK Fire," he said, speaking with as much authority as he could.

Red streaks came swirling into his palm, forming a tiny ball of heatless fire in his hand. The shining sphere gradually increased in size as more of the energy congregated in the same place, slowly beginning to take the form of a blaze until he had successfully summoned a mini inferno into his grasp.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent this ball flying into the dummy on the right, the ball instantly morphing into a lightning bolt-esque shape. Once it made contact, it exploded, the now-burning flames licking their way up the fabric haphazardly tied to the pole and turning it black. Smoke began to form, billowing up from the spreading fire like storm clouds and causing the room to stink. Claus let the magic last for a moment more before waving his hand, causing everything he'd just done to vanish, with the exception of the now-charred fabric and pole.

Kumatora smiled and clapped a few times, looking at him slyly. "Excellent! I think that one would've hurt, don't you?" she winked, genuinely happy with Claus' progress.

The boy grinned back, triumphantly more than anything. His PK Fire was the one he liked the most; the Love was too weak and the Thunder was too hard for him to control. "Sure would've," he agreed, admiring his handiwork a little more than he probably should have. But, hey, it was progress.

Kumatora rubbed her hands together, her face determined. "Now, I want to work on your PK Thunder, because you seemed to have the most trouble with that one. Unless you're feeling faint?" she smirked at him evilly, reminding them both of how he'd collapsed from over-exertion the last time they'd done this.

Claus' cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink. "I'm perfectly capable of doing it, thank you very much!" he retorted, inwardly embarrassed at his apparent lack of stamina in that department. He was determined to work on that, too.

Kumatora's voice turned challenging. "Well then, show me what you've got and prove it!"

However, before Claus could even think about doing so, the door opened abruptly, and the two swiveled around to see who it might've been. The door was slammed shut behind them, revealing the intruders to be none other than Ike and Delaney, the same two that Claus had met this morning. Ike still had that I-have-important-crap-to-do-so-leave-me-alone look, but Delaney looked curious.

"Why hello, Brigadier General Thompson and Colonel Smith. What brings you two here?" Kumatora asked, seeming unsurprised at the new arrivals despite herself.

Delaney also looked somewhat apologetic. "Hello again to you too," she bowed yet again. For an officer of such high status, she was surprisingly modest. "Ike and I didn't have anything to do at the moment, so we thought we'd stop by to observe a bit of your training. That is, if it's alright with you?"

Kumatora shrugged. "I don't see why not. Anything in particular you want to see?"

Ike cut in. "Just continue from where we interrupted."

"Alright then." And she turned back to the shortest of the group. "Claus?"

Then everyone's eyes were on him. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for his next attack. Holding his left hand to his chest, he focused on nothing but the image of thunder in his mind and the left dummy that stood not too far in front of him, effectively ignoring the duo that stood off to the side, watching his actions curiously. His face serious and his mind ready, he shot his hand toward his target, pointing with his index finger and shouting, "PK Thunder!"

A large blue ball of electric energy sliced through the air, tiny crackling lines of electricity jumping off and disappearing as it flew. When it made contact with the pole, everyone heard the sharp _BZZT_-like sound it made as the metal conducted it, sending it toward the weight at the bottom, which absorbed enough of the spell to cause no damage to the floor when it hit, instead just withering away into nothingness.

"Better!" Kumatora clapped, obviously pleased with the display. "You actually hit what you'd been aiming to this time!"

"Wow," Delaney breathed, her chocolatey brown eyes wide and a hand to her mouth, amazed at the never-before-seen talent. Even Ike seemed affected, his perpetual frown replaced with an almost disbelieving look.

Claus stretched his arm nonchalantly, secretly enjoying how impressed they looked. "Yeah. It seemed like it took less energy to do this time around, too," he noted.

Kumatora nodded. "It becomes easier and easier."

"Wait," Ike interrupted them, his arms crossed. "So all that uses energy? As in, you can't just use it indefinitely?"

"That's right," the pinkette agreed, shaking her head in the affirmative. "You can increase that energy if you practice regularly, but everyone has a limit to how much PSI they can use in a certain span of time. It usually resets after a good night's sleep or something relaxing, like a hot spring."

Ike seemed satisfied with this answer and just nodded his understanding.

"That isn't it, though, right?" Delaney asked a question of her own. "I mean, there's more that that particular spell, right?"

"Sure is," Kumatora winked, looking at Claus. "Show them both yours."

So Claus did a repeat of his own two moves, each seeming to impress the officers more than the last. After that, Kunatora showed them a technique exclusive to her, PK Freeze, which encased the dummy she'd performed it on in a thick shining case of ice, and her PK Shield maneuver, which she had Claus demonstrate how it blocked attacks by sending a PK Fire at it, the shimmering hexagonal shield shrugging the spell off as if it was nothing.

Delaney was ecstatic, scribbling things down on her clipboard for future reference and asking loads of questions from the origin of PSI to how it worked at a molecular level to how one went about learning new techniques and about how many were there? Even Ike seemed genuinely interested, watching the actions of the younger duo with a hawk's eyes and even asking one or two of his own of course tactical-related questions.

Soon the both of them were worn out, primarily due to too much PSI use. Claus had to sit down for a minute because he felt dizzy and Kumatora rubbed her temples and complained of a 'PSI-ache'.

"Well, you still need to get your daily workout done," was all Ike had to say about it, as unsympathetic as ever.

Delaney showed a little more tact. "I do hope you two feel better soon. Thank you for the demonstration, it was very interesting, to be sure," she smiled and bowed yet again. "Again, if you have any more questions, you know where to find answers." She and Ike turned around and departed almost as suddenly as they had come.

The two stayed silent for a few minutes before Claus decided it was probably time to speak up. "I guess we should go and get fit, huh?"

Kumatora stood with her hands on her hips. "Guess so," she agreed.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Claus laid on his bed, completely exhausted from the day's trials.

After they had done their whole PSI routine, Claus and Kumatora had gone off to the training room to work out. The pinkette was just about fit, running a mile on the tread mill in about nine minutes and able to lift almost ninety pounds of raw weight continuously. The boy, on the other hand, had a long way to go; his mile was a total of twelve minutes and forty three seconds and he was having trouble lifting just forty-five pounds of weight. She would never let him hear the end of it.

The second thing they had done was work on their flexibility and hand-eyes coordination, which Claus was fairly good at. During that time Kumatora went on about her squadron and how nice they seemed, and how this morning she'd met a guy named Duster, who had bad breath and reminded him of a hobo, but otherwise was very nice and easy to talk to. Claus found this name and description to be vaguely familiar, but he shook it from his mind and spoke of his own not-so-fortunate morning, privacy being invaded and getting yelled at while he was still half-asleep.

After that it was lunch time, and Claus was relieved to find that squads A and B shared a cafeteria. He and Kumatora were joined by the Duster guy and a friend of his named Thomas, and Claus suddenly remembered why Duster was familiar; he was Wess the librarian's son. They mainly talked about their reasons for enlisting, Duster feeling it was his duty (which Kumatora found really noble of him) and Thomas just needing to get away from it all. They also poked fun at how young Claus was, wondering how he was able to get in when the legal minimum age was seventeen and he looked about fourteen.

Delaney met the duo again after the lunch hour and escorted them to another exclusive lesson: how to use a gun featuring who else but Brigadier General Ike Thompson as their teacher. This gun wasn't like everyone else's that used bullets; it actually fed off their inner PSI power and shot magical energy out in a very compressed, bullet-like way. It took a bit of practice, what with neither of them having ever used a regular gun before, let alone a gadget like this. Claus even accidentally shot Ike in the hand when the man was trying to correct his hold on it, resulting in a smack on the head. After an hour, though, they were pros at it, shooting every proper dummy in the room with very decent accuracy.

After that it was their time, and they decided to meet back up with Duster and Thomas in the squadron B rec room. They just sat and talked some more, Kumatora infinitely more interested in what Duster had to say than Thomas and Claus combined. They tried their hands at a board game, Monopoly, a game that Claus had never even heard of but was apparently extremely popular with the entire squadron, as thirty minutes into the game they had an impressive audience, betting on who would win the game. The redhead had a surprising number of bets on him and came pretty close to winning, but ended up losing to Thomas.

The game had taken almost three hours, and Claus decided that it was high-time he returned to his own quarters on account of being really tired. He said his goodbyes and left, finding his way back with minimal trouble. He chose a book from the mini library they had, since reading had always been a good inductor of sleep.

He was currently reading that book, Frankenstein, in his bed, having changed into proper pajamas tonight. He wasn't very far into it, and wasn't at all impressed by it. He didn't really read at all, and he especially did not read about green manmade monsters if he did.

Closing the book and sighing, Claus turned the lamp next to him off and just laid there, not bothering to get under the covers at all. With nothing to occupy himself, his mind began to wander. He thought about Tazmily. Surely they hadn't attacked again? If they could really sense his presence like Kumatora had said they could, then they probably wouldn't have. That was a relief. The redhead felt kind of homesick already.

Then there was Lucas. Claus' stomach clenched at the thought of his twin. Surely he was doing better now? He didn't think he could live with himself if Lucas was permanently injured. Or if he was pissed off at him for leaving, which Claus could imagine completely. Hopefully Fuel had told him already. Hopefully the blonde would understand that it was something he _needed_ to do, and not something that he wanted.

And finally, the Shinra'ta. When would he be able to get them back for what they did? The bastards were obviously messed up in the head for wanting to destroy everyone else. It almost made him wish they'd attack again, just so he could go there and kick their asses into the next year. Almost. He didn't want any more innocent people getting hurt or killed because of them. If he would get them back, he would get them back properly: barge into their headquarters and bust some heads.

Nevertheless, the boy sighed, adjusting himself so that he lay below the covers now and snuggled up against his pillow. Tonight he noticed the absence of a warm body beside him to help coax him to sleep, but he knew it would be alright.

Because he was working to protect that body, Lucas, and everyone else for that matter, from ever being hurt by sociopathic weirdoes ever again.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: After a two-and-a-half month wait, I give you a chapter that was written in two days. But the bright side is that I finally have a basic skeleton of the plot laid out. And we're nowhere near the end just yet.**_

If you came into this fic assuming it was going to have no plot and everything, like I did, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The plot just kinda started developing on it's own, and now I have a full novel-length story planned. It's quite weird how that works. But if plot doesn't bother you, stick with me! I hope you'll like the story I'm going to tell xD

As for updates, I'm going to try for at least two more of them this summer before school starts up again, and maybe (probably?) more if I have the time. I feel bad for neglecting this story as much as I have.

_**And just as a side note, I actually have a concept drawing of the uniform that Claus and Kumatora wear in this chapter from a really long time ago. It's not very good, but it gets the job done, lol. I may upload it later if I have time.**_

So, what did you think? Leave a review down below telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc.

Until next time, ciao!


	8. VIII King Porky

_**DISCLAIMER: Guess what? No really, guess. ...yeah, you're right. I don't own the Mother/EarthBound franchise.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Claus yawned as he walked down the hall.

It was another mediocre day in the life of a pawn of the Pigmask Army. It had started out the same way it usually did; waking up at ten 'till five in the morning, going to eat breakfast, morning PSI practice with Kumatora in the EX03A room. After the week and a half they'd spent practicing their powers together, Kumatora felt she no longer needed to do it anymore, what with Claus skills almost outshining her own already. So they went to notify Colonel Delaney, who also partook in schedule adjustments, and she gladly took it off their daily to-do list.

Now the duo was headed for the gym once again. They both had gotten to the point that they needed to up their workouts in order to get any kind of benefit from it. Kumatora was still stronger than the redhead, but Claus's arms, midsection and legs had become a bit more toned. They both ran a mile on the treadmill in the same time and were about equal in flexibility, Claus taking the lead for that.

As they reached the entrance of the general gym, they both swiped their small cards into a slim lock-like device upon entry, which come to find out was almost like clocking in to work; you swiped it coming in and leaving, and supervisors could see whether you were actually doing what you were supposed to or not and how long you did it.

The door opened for them and they both stepped in, the smell of sweat not too appealing. There weren't many people there yet, so the locker room wasn't crowded at all. In fact, it was completely empty, giving Claus privacy to change into his gym clothes, consisting of a blue wifebeater and orange mesh gym shorts. Kumatora's was a long pink tank top and white volleyball shorts.

They both decided to run their mile first. Hopping on two free treadmills next to each other, they both pressed the necessary information into the display and each belt began to move. Having set their machines identically, they both began by walking for about thirty seconds, then jogging for a few minutes. And then, finally, the fun part; running. There was a slight discrepancy when they switched over, Claus treadmill a few seconds ahead of the pinkette's, but soon the two of them were running, their legs pounding against the moving rubber as they went at it.

At the first quarter of the mile, Claus felt that slight burn his his side, the burn that had nearly caused him to trip over himself the first time he'd tried to run it, having been so painful. But with practice it had dulled, allowing the boy to sprint along as if it wasn't even there. Kumatora didn't even look fazed, keeping her pace beautifully as her pale legs moved back and forth. This continued for a while more, until both their machines started to slow, signaling the mile's completion. Redhead and pinkette alike breathed hard, but each felt a little better than thy had yesterday, and that was progress enough for them.

"Beat you," Claus smirked as he stepped off the mill, wiping sweat from his forehead with his forearm.

Kumatora scoffed. "Oh, shut it, you did not. Our machines stopped at the same time," she retorted, running a hand through her hair roughly.

"But mine started a few seconds earlier!" he sang, dodging her playful smack easily as they made their way over to the weight section of the gym.

Deciding to bench lift that day on account of it being the least used piece of equipment there, the two grabbed different weights from the shelves and a pole from a stack in the back. After fitting said pole with about sixty pounds of iron, Kumatora insisted that she go first.

"Ladies first, you know," she justified childishly, lying on the bench in the standard position and grabbing hold of the metal with her bare hands. Claus held a stopwatch in his hands and stood above her, thumb hovering above the start button.

"Ready?"

"Yep."

"Then go!"

His thumb collided with the poor button as Kumatora thrust upwards, lifting the weights with little trouble. She brought them down almost all the way to her perky chest before raising them once more, and repeating the process numerous times. Down, up, down, up. It was fast the whole way through, the last, tenth, lift being the fastest yet, and she set the bar back in place once again, flexing her fingers. Claus mashed the stop button. About nineteen seconds. Not bad.

When he showed this to the woman, she shrugged, finding it to be okay with her. "Now add ten pounds," she said, rolling he shoulders a bit and getting settled in once again.

Claus nodded, setting the stopwatch down for a second while he did as he was told. "Sure, sure."

Once that was done, they repeated the process over again. Kumatora didn't go as fast, but that was understandable, as she had just done so ten times a bit earlier and ten pounds had been added to the total weight. One could tell she was hard-pressed to finish, for she strained the last two times to get them up, but she did end up getting it all wrapped up with a total time of twenty-six seconds.

"Good enough for me," she commented, sitting up and stretching her back muscles before standing up to allow the redhead access to the bench. "Want me to take some of the weight off so you can start easier?"

Claus shook his head as he leaned back. "Nah, just leave it, I can handle it," he said, flexing his own fingers as he positioned his hands appropriately.

Kumatora raised an eyebrow at him. "You sure about that?" she asked as she cleared the stopwatch Claus had handed her in exchange.

Claus frowned up at her. "Of course I am. Just worry about keeping the time, cause today's the day I'll beat yours."

She chuckled. "If you say so," she shook her head before counting down to his starting signal. "Okay, three, two, one...go!"

From when he first pushed up on the bar, Claus knew that it was too much weight for him to handle. But he was a typical stubborn, proud male. He would not be outshone by a woman, older and more experienced or not. So he lowered it and pushed up again, trying to make his struggling less apparent. Kumatora seemed to be watching the watch more than him as he lifted slowly up and down. His muscles screamed at him to stop as he went, but he wouldn't be so easily deterred. He actually thought he might've been able to do it, too, with how close he was getting to that tenth and final lift. But it was on the eighth that he ended up botching it pretty badly.

His arms buckled underneath the weight and the bar came crashing down on his neck. The force of it caused him to gag violently, which is what caught Kumatora's attention. She looked at him, gasped, threw the stop watch to the side and scrambled to get a hold on the bar to lift it from his neck. The pressure left him unable to breathe, and for a moment Claus thought he might pass out or die from lack of oxygen.

But Kumatora lifted it away with relative ease, and he coughed and spluttered, inhaling as fast as he could and his hands tenderly touching his neck. The pinkette set the bar back in place and glared down at the boy menacingly. "You damn _idiot_! If it's too much weight, put it back up and say so, moron! Jesus, if I hadn't been there, you could've died," she reprimanded sternly. She was tempted to smack him upside the head for it, but when he stood up and she got a clear view of his horrified expression, she decided to not, or at least wait.

"Shit," he said, wincing as he touched his neck. "I think my throat is going to have a permanent dent now."

Her expression softened a little bit. "Well then, maybe next time you won't be such a proud jackass." She scratched the back of her head. "But I think we've had enough weights for now. On to the yoga!"

This is what Kumatora referred to stretching as. They both walked into a room full of mats that would cushion any fall they happened to have, and pretty much got with it. They touched their toes, hooked their hands together behind their backs, did the butterfly with their legs, and while Kumatora could bring a leg up behind her back with her hands, Claus could do a split pretty easily, a talent he never even knew he had.

Now they played a game of catch to work on basic hand-eye coordination. They threw the softball at one another at a steady rate, each having no noticeable problems.

"So I was talking with Duster last night," Kumatora started, and Claus rolled his eyes. Again with the Duster guy. Claus found him to be a nice guy and everything, but one could tell that Kumatora was attracted to him. A lot. "Did you know that his dad wanted him to be a thief? Imagine the nerve of that guy!"

Claus threw the ball back at Kumatora's face, which she caught just in time. "Why don't you just ask him out already? I mean, he's all you ever talk about. That and training."

Kumatora, for the first time Claus had ever seen, blushed, her cheeks matching her hair almost spot on. "Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed, throwing the ball at Claus' stomach. He thankfully caught it before it could make contact. "And besides. Where would we go? I'm just waiting for him to confess his love for me."

"Because he's so blatantly head-over-heels for you," the boy smirked, giving his next pitch a slight curve. It didn't catch the pinkette off guard, as she cupped it in her hands excellently. "Seriously, though, you can't just wait for him. You have to tell him how you feel." And suddenly, Claus felt like a hypocrite. Though he also felt like it was justified. Who wouldn't just ignore their feelings in his place? It just wasn't done, what he wanted.

Kumatora outright laughed at him. "And what do you know about love?" she asked him, throwing the ball high into the air. Claus had to back up a few paces to successfully catch it. "Though I guess you've got a point. Someone could be tryin' ta steal my man as we speak!" she laughed again.

Claus laughed too, tossing the ball back to her. "That's the spirit! Let them all know that he's taken!"

And he kept on laughing for some reason, so much so that he didn't even notice Kumatora's next throw until it was too late. It hit him right in the forehead, and he fell back to the floor with a _FLUMP_, clutching his head and wincing.

Kumatora approached him, laughing even harder than he had been. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry," she said through giggles, though Claus knew that she was a filthy liar. She held a hand down to help him up, and he hesitated before taking it with a glare, still rubbing his poor forehead.

"First the weights and now the ball. Damn, I must've done something that pissed God off yesterday," he complained, shaking his head. "I'm done with this."

Kumatora didn't let go of his hand. "But wait! Look, that Bowflex thingy is open now. Let's go try it out! There's nothing you can hurt yourself with," she teased, and laughed some more when Claus tried and failed to hit her in the arm.

_-asdfjkl;-_

The redhead now held his stomach, groaning in pain.

The dark-haired man above him seemed pretty unimpressed. "You realize that wouldn't happen if you would _learn_," he grunted, turning around and walking a few paces back. "Again."

Claus shakily stood, glaring at the man. _Damn_ him for being such a bastard! He straightened up as best he could, ignoring the countless bruises he'd sustained from this man. He would get him today. He would. They'd been at this for an hour now, the both of them engaged against each other in physical combat, Ike trying to teach the 'un-teachable' Claus. And no matter how many times they did it, the Brigadier General was always three steps ahead of him.

Claus wasted no time in sprinting toward the man as soon as he'd turned back around, a fist coiled back and ready to punch. He dodged Ike's left fist, sending his own straight at his gut. It did land, but Ike wasn't fazed in the least, smashing his right knee into Claus' already-injured stomach. The boy coughed roughly, but tried to follow up with another quick jab to the stomach, which again hit but did pretty much nothing. Ike took this opportunity to grab the redhead by the shirt, lift him completely off the ground, and throw him toward the closest wall. Claus flew through the air, hitting the thankfully padded wall with his back, earning himself a _FLUNK_, and kind of bounced off before hitting the floor with his face.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" the curt voice spoke to him, cold and unforgiving. "Use your size to your advantage, dimwit. You're obviously not strong enough to take me down head-on."

Claus lifted his head to shoot poison daggers at the man, only to find his back. He had the nerve to turn his back on an opponent? Oh, _hell_ no. The boy got up with surprising finesse for one who'd just been sent flying into a wall and lunged at the man with a strangled cry. "_Dammit_!"

Ike was able to turn around halfway before the kid was on him, punching where ever he could land one. Ike tried to throw him off again, but Claus wouldn't have it. He latched his arms around his neck, preventing the man from doing anything and kicking his legs as hard as he could.

He could tell he was doing damage by how Ike reacted, pounding the boy's side to get him to let go. Claus reluctantly did so, landing on his feet behind the man. Enraged, Ike tried to do a back kick of sorts, a kick Claus just barely dodged. He met Ike's front as the man turned around, pulling back and sending his fist straight for the man's jaw. It got so close for a moment that Claus was sure he'd land it, but the dark-haired man grabbed his fist not an inch away from contact. He grabbed his upper arm with his other hand and started to whirl around, getting ready to throw him again.

But Claus saw this, and he also saw a counterattack; he used his hand to grab Ike's also, and his other hand to do the same, and when the man made to let him go, Claus stayed right there, using the momentum Ike had bestowed upon him to swing his lower body back around and pound him flat in the back of his head with his feet, making a very sickening _CLUNK_ sound.

Claus, having nowhere else to go, fell to the ground once more. Ike stood very still, his head bowed for a moment, before turning to look at the cheeky redhead. Claus knew what was coming; a kick or something, to reprimand him for going at an opponent when his back was turned, but it was well worth it—Claus had finally won.

But to his shock, he was met with not a foot in his stomach, but a half-smile, something that looked very foreign on the commander's face. "It's about time," he said, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. "I was waiting for you to figure it out. Your enemy isn't going to fight fair, either. And that was a nice move, too." He held out a hand to help the dumbfounded boy up. "Though I don't think you need to shout expletives in battle, it'd give you away."

Claus took the hand, grinning kind of sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess." Ike's reaction had caught him off guard; maybe he wasn't as much of a jerk as he seemed?

The man looked at his wrist, checking the time. "Hmm...it seems like we finished just in time, too. Come," he jerked his head toward the door of the room, telling him to follow.

"Okay...but where exactly are we going?" Claus asked as they exited the room, walking down the hall the opposite direction they'd come.

"I'm not authorized to tell you," he replied, turning down another hallway and pulling his mask off his belt.

"Eh?" That didn't sound very good to Claus. Had he already done something wrong?

"It's not something to worry about. It's actually a privilege, I'd say. But that's all I can tell you."

"...Oh."

They arrived at the infamous elevator. Ike pushed the only button present, one that read 'up', and within ten seconds the door opened, granting them entry. Another button press sent them off, up and up about three floors before the contraption stopped once again. When the doors opened, they both met a familiar pinkette standing there.

"Kumatora. Should have known," Claus sighed as they both stepped off the elevator. Kumatora looked back at them, noticing them for the first time, and winked at Claus.

"Don't act like you're not glad to see me," she smiled playfully.

Ike pulled his mask onto his face, completing his albino pigmask uniform superbly. He looked around a bit before turning back to them. "Alright, you two, stay here and wait."

Claus made to ask him another question, but the man was quickly off, set about doing something or another. Kumatora yawned and put her hands behind her head. "So did you get told where we were going?" she asked the boy.

Claus put his back against the wall they stood next to. "Nope. Something about it being a privilege, though."

"Same." She stretched a little more before she turned to the shorter boy with a grin. "So did you get told you were a natural born fighter?"

Claus frowned, thinking back to his spar with Ike. "No, it was more like a 'hopeless, unteachable dimwit' kind of saying."

She laughed. "Isn't that the truth."

"Hey, shut up! The last attack I landed was awesome!"

Before the two could bicker anymore on the subject, a familiar voice chuckled at them. "You two are exactly the same as you were two weeks ago."

They both turned to the right to see who else but Fassad standing there, dressed in the same airy getup that Claus had always seen him in. He smiled that smile of his, a kind of serious yet genuine expression, almost like it was forced. "Having fun in the ranks of our army?" he asked.

Kumatora spoke first. "Look who's talking. You look like you haven't even changed clothes!"

"Hell no, it's not fun. We train, and then we train, and then we train some more!" Claus answered the question honestly.

Fassad laughed at them both. "Well, that's good! We wouldn't want you to be defenseless in battle. That's what an army does." He turned back around and waved them along with his left hand. "Follow me."

They both shared a look before doing as they were told, following behind him like little ducks in a row. They walked all the way to the reception-esque room of the floor before Claus decided to ask. "So where are you taking us?"

Fassad grinned, looking back to meet the boy's eyes. "You're going to meet our lovely King."

_-asdfjkl;-_

They stepped off the elevator gladly, savoring the stability of the floor as they did so. The elevator ride had taken quite a long time, so long that the younger two had doubted it would ever end. Claus knew that they were at least eighty stories high, and the building had looked about that high from the outside.

Fassad walked them down the admittedly short hall, stopping in front of two huge double doors that barred their path.

"This guy sure lives up high," Kumatora noted, looking out the room's one window. "And has a funny sense of decor."

"You will be polite, you will stand tall, you will listen to what he has to say and you will be silent unless he addresses you first. Understand?" Fassad warned them in a strict tone, once that Claus had never heard the man use before, but neither of them had a chance to answer before he barged in anyway.

The doors swept open, revealing a very large and intricate room. The walls were a shade of red that faded slowly into a majestic shade of purple as it went down. The floor was tiled with gorgeous white marble, there being a red carpet for them to walk on. It led to a very futuristic-looking throne-ish type thing, with metal pieces sticking out at odd angles and various lights spread across it, where a rather large man sat. He was very chubby, had wispy gray hair that nearly covered his beady eyes, and wore overalls with a light blue undershirt. Behind him was an overcast sky, viewable through the wall of glass that protected them from the elements.

"Good day, Your Majesty!" Fassad exclaimed, walking down the carpet toward him with open arms. The duo behind him shared incredulous looks before following suit. "How nice it is to see you again!"

The being in front of them stirred, as if it had been aroused from a slumber of sorts. He opened his mouth and inhaled sharply. "Fassad, it has only been two days since we spoke last," he said, his voice terribly scratchy and faint. He coughed a little bit. "But I suppose it's nice to see you again as well. How is our little army?"

Fassad stopped about a yard or so away from the King, and Claus and Kumatora stopped just behind him. "Oh, it's fine, Your Royalness. In fact, I have here with me the two new recruits I've been telling you about," he answered, gesturing to the two behind him.

This seemed to catch his attention, and the man laughed, or gave it his best shot; it was more like a shaky chuckle. "Is that so?" he asked, sitting up in his chair. "The ones that can use the psychokinetic power?"

Fassad nodded. "The very same."

He clapped his hands. "Marvelous! Where are they? Send them closer so I can see them."

Fassad gestured for them to step forward. As soon as they were in front of him he put a hand on each of their backs, guiding them forward as if they didn't know the way. He halted right in front of the stairs leading up to the king's perch. "They're right here, Your Highness."

The man above them leaned forward a bit, scanning them with his small eyes, and from this close, they could see his all of his wrinkles and liver spots, along with the almost blue tint of color his skin had. It made Claus wonder just how old the man was. "So they are," he commented, sitting back upright. "I welcome you to our little army," he said, bowing his head slightly. "I am King Porky, and I must say it's quite nice to meet you two."

Fassad jabbed them both sharply in the back. "Bow," he hissed under his breath, just loud enough for the duo to hear.

Claus did so first, dipping his head respectfully low. "It's an honor for us to be in your majestic presence, sir," he said.

Kumatora copied him. "What he said, sir."

Fassad looked like he wanted to smack the pinkette, but King P just laughed. "So which of you is our ace of spades?"

Fassad answered for them. "That would be the boy, Your Delightfulness."

"Aha," he said, looking at Claus like he was sizing him up. "You look mighty puny. How old are you?"

Claus held his tongue. "Fifteen, sir," he said, slightly put off by his comment.

"Wow...that's pretty young," he concluded, nodding his head. "And you only just discovered you psychokinetic powers, correct?"

"Yes," Claus responded, and after a swift pull of his hair from Fassad behind him, he hastily added, "Sir."

The old man above them nodded again. "Yes, yes. Well, I hope you're getting the hang of your new skills soon, for you will have to prove yourself to us sooner than you may think. Our little army is not a joke or a game; not just anyone is allowed entry."

_If only you knew._ The boy just stood there, meeting the king's eyes without question. "Understood, sir," he replied.

King P also nodded, finishing the conversation. He was silent for a moment more before he turned his head slightly to look at Kumatora, who stood with a hand on her hip. "And you are the other." His eyes trailed down her body, yet not giving away any of his thoughts. "You're quite pretty. No older than twenty, I'd say?"

Kumatora shook her head. "Close. Twenty-one years of age, sir," she corrected him.

"Ah. And you're the one who awakened this boy's power, right? I must thank you for that," the man bowed his head a bit gratefully.

The pinkette rubbed the back of her neck. "Aw, it was no problem, sir," she admitted casually. "He needed some help, and I, being the good samaritan that I am, gave it to him."

"I see," he chuckled airily, and one could tell that the woman's attitude amused him. "And how long have you had your psychokinetic power?"

"Ever since I was little, sir."

"Well, that certainly is a long time," he said, leaning back in his seat. "Hopefully that means you have a good grasp on your abilities. I hear you've been training the boy, too, so again I must thank you."

"And again I must say that it was my pleasure."

Regardless of the poke Fassad gave her, she did not tack a "Sir," on to her words. King P was silent again, breathing in and out a few times for a moment. He appeared to be satisfied with what he had asked and said, for he waited a moment before saying, "Now that I have asked you both my questions, it is your turn. Do either of you have questions for me?"

Kumatora stayed silent, having no queries whatsoever besides maybe why was his skin blue, but she decided to show a little tact and not ask. Claus, on the other hand, couldn't help himself.

"Why did you come here?" he asked, causing both Kumatora and Fassad to look at him. "You say you came from across the sea, looking for another land, and you found us, the Nowhere Islands. Then you went and changed everything, and now we have all these things like money and automobiles and video boxes and machines that can do pretty much anything." He paused, ignoring Fassad's furious glare and Kumatora's what-the-hell-are-you-_doing_ look. "I don't mean any disrespect, but...why? Everything was perfectly fine before."

Everyone was silent while King P absorbed his question and thought about how to answer it. He closed his small eyes and _hmm'd_, stroking his chin thoughtfully with his hand. After a minute he finally opened his eyes again, looking down at the redhead with a ghost of a smile on his sunken face.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone," he said, pausing for a moment. "I come from a different dimension entirely. My dimension had people completely identical to yours here, and they were very advanced, as much as you all are now. I was very greedy back then; I wanted to prove to everyone that I was better than them, and what better way to do that than take over the world? I teamed up with an otherworldly force in order to do so. But I was wrong. That force was incredibly unstable. It feared itself and me and everything else, and it only grew worse as time went on. Eventually it grew so scared and pathetic that we were forced to flee to a different dimension entirely, though this one had been created by the force so it could escape most of its fear. It was about that time that I realized that I had made a terrible mistake, but I was both too scared and too weak to stop the force, something that we dubbed Giygas, myself. It was pure luck when a childhood friend of mine and three acquaintances of his made it to his secret world and managed to beat him with the power of love. You remind me of that boy, in a way...

"Anyway, I fled both those dimensions, too ashamed to face my friend after what I had become. I began wandering all of time and space, unsure of what I could do from then on. But, when I spotted your land and your people, I could see it. A tyrant, just like I had been, power-hungry and willing to do anything to obtain it. So I made it a personal mission of mine to watch over your land and protect it, preventing the same fate that almost befell my own people.

"As for the industrialization...at the very core, the human race's number one goal in life is progress, whether it be to better the world somehow or to get a promotion at your workplace. What I saw here were people in stasis, completely comfortable with what they had, making no progress at all. Yet, you all had no idea how...defunct your lives really were. So I brought you all the ultimate gift: technology. Ten years ago, this island was still, quiet, and small, peaceful, yes, but fulfilled? Now you are all in a better state than you have ever been, thanks to those who took the information I had to share and made use of it. Your lives are much longer, much simpler, and much more efficient than they were. All humans deserve that much."

Claus and Kumatora looked as if they were in a trance the entire length of the king's speech. Could the things he spoke of really be true? Different dimensions, otherworldly forces, things they haven't even invented yet? Claus' innocent question had been answered by giving him even more questions to ask.

But he wouldn't get the chance to do so, at least, not today. "But my recollection has tired me," King P says, rubbing his temples gingerly. "I appreciate the visit. It gets lonely here without a little company once in a while."

"Of course, Your Awesomeness," Fassad said, pulling the psychic duo backwards and away by their arms. "Any time you wish, and I will be there in a heartbeat. These two need to be getting back to base soon anyway." They neared the door swiftly, Fassad for some reason eager to get out.

"I know this, and am grateful. Goodbye Fassad, Claus, Kumatora," he called back to them.

The addressed three said goodbye back to him in unison before Fassad all but slammed the doors closed. He turned to them slowly. "Do you believe what he just told you?" he asked them, his face serious.

The younger duo was silent before Kumatora piped up. "Why? Is there a reason we shouldn't?"

He sighed. "Well, no, it's just...oh, never mind." He strode past them and pressed a button on the wall next to the elevator, which opened instantly. "But you must promise to tell no one of this. It is at this point top secret information."

It didn't really strike Claus as that all that confidential, but he swore along with Kumatora that he wouldn't, and they all sped down toward the first floor once again, none looking forward to how long it would take.  
_  
-asdfjkl;-_

Claus set the pen down for a moment, thinking.

After arriving back on the base, he and Kumatora had gone to eat dinner like always, with Duster and Thomas once again. The food was alright, but it had been a little awkward for the latter and the redhead, as it was painfully obvious to anyone within earshot that Duster and the pinkette were doting on each other. When they invited him to a game of cards afterwards, he'd politely declined for two reasons: one, he didn't think he could stand the two lovebirds anymore and two, he had something he needed to do.

He currently sat in his room, fully showered and dressed for bed, residing on his bed with a large book he'd taken to read out of if he was bored and a piece of paper resting on top. A pen laid next to him on the sheets, and all the paper said so far was _Dear Lucas_.

He was unsure where to start, or even how to start. _Hey, bro. You been good these couple of weeks?_ That seemed a little too informal, but he didn't want to sound too formal, either. He'd never written a letter before, and knew nothing past the 'Dear (insert name here)' part.

He decided he'd start by asking him how he was. As he scribbled that down, he also thought he would say that he himself was fine, and that there wasn't much to worry about. Also he he asked about where Lucas resided now. Was it nice? Did it get too cold at night like their house used to? And had Lucas gotten the money he'd earned this pay period yet? Claus had decided before he'd even arrived at the base that Lucas would get the majority of what he earned, for his quartering and meals were free whereas Lucas' weren't.

Soon Claus found himself writing about the past few weeks for him, and his new life there in the army. He spoke of his training, which had been a bitch recently and he had the bruises to prove it, the others in his squadron, who were for the most part nice enough. His room was small but good enough, and he missed having the blonde next to him as he slept. Claus flushed when he realized he'd written that sentence without meaning to. He made to cross the line out, but stopped midway through the motion, deciding it would make the letter look tacky.

He also wrote about how in-shape he was getting, thanks to all the mandatory workouts, and joked about being able to cut the time they'd hurried into town having been late that one day in half. He debated on whether to tell him about his recent audience with King Porky, but settled on not doing so just in case his blonde twin asked questions. Instead, his pen formed sentences which detailed the city itself, how massive and purple it was, and all the tall buildings and streets.

Finally, he got around to the things that had been on his mind, gnawing away at him ever since he'd left. The redhead said he was sorry, sorry for both missing that day for a really stupid reason and leaving him in his time of need. He desperately wanted to explain himself so Lucas would _understand_, but decided against it. After all, no one outside the army seemed to even know PSI existed, and the blonde boy probably wouldn't believe him even if he tried.

He finished off his letter with a _Truly Yours, Claus_ at the bottom and sighed. His hand hurt slightly from the amount he'd written and he was extremely tired for some reason, but he'd successfully gotten some things off his chest, and he felt a lot better. Setting both the letter and book aside for tomorrow when he'd send it, he yawned loudly and scooted under the covers, turning his lamp off as he did so.

Claus snuggled up against a long pillow that laid the same way he did on the other side of the small bed, something he'd rigged to take the place of Lucas. He knew that it was stupid and childish, and in his case _wrong_, but he insisted that it helped him sleep better.

And it must have, for he drifted off to sleep after that very quickly, dreaming of omelets, red dresses, and brown cowboy hats.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: OOC King P is OOC. Oh well. And you don't get to see what the letter says. Yet. Huhuu.**_

Yeah, this chapter is kinda filler, but you met King P. And you saw Claus kick Ike in the head. So it was well worth it. Right? D: I'll try to make up for it with the next chapter, pinky swear.

But anyway, that's it for this installment of Protector. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. They make me smile! C:

'till next time, fellas. 


	9. IX The Battle of Getts

_**DISCLAIMER: Do I own any of this? Pffft. 'Course I don't.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Claus placed his knight with a conniving smirk. "Checkmate."

The redhead sat on the common sofa, Kumatora on one side of him, Thomas on the other, and Duster in a chair opposite him. They were all sitting in the squadron B rec room, in the early afternoon during their midday hour of free time. The pinkette and Thomas observed as Claus plucked Duster's king from the board unceremoniously and threw it up in the air before catching it again like a show off. The boy was an expert at chess; he and his father had played it together ever since he'd been little, and after that Lucas had been his partner, always losing to the older twin in a huff. It'd been awhile since he had played last, but he apparently still had some skill, as he'd just bested all three of his accompaniments breezily.

Duster leaned back, scratching his head and cocking an eyebrow. "Well, that didn't last very long," he said, conceding defeat without a second thought. "You're pretty good, kid."

Thomas laughed heartily at the two. "Look at that, wouldja?" he chuckled, patting Claus' shoulder. "And I thought Duster was a god at chess!"

Kumatora looked sympathetic toward Duster. "That's okay," she said, shooting him a winning look. "Claus probably cheated anyway."

Claus paused his mumbling thanks to Thomas to whip his head around and glare menacingly at the pinkette on his other side. "What the hell?" he asked, eyes narrowing. "How do you cheat at chess?"

"You'd find a way somehow!"

Claus didn't find it funny when the other two males laughed. _It's only because she's a pretty woman. Idiots._ He just shook his head and gathered all the pieces up and folded the board, putting it all back in the box and placing it to the side of the table. "Whatever."

Suddenly, an announcement was heard booming overhead, everyone jumping and looking up at the ceiling sharply. _**SQUADRONS A AND B REPORT TO THE LAUNCH BAY. REPEAT, SQUADRONS A AND B REPORT TO THE LAUNCH BAY.**_

Claus looked back to the others cluelessly. Launch bay? Kumatora looked just as confused as he did, but the two older men's faces were grimly set as they stood up, mirroring everyone else's movements as they all marched out of the rec room and into the narrow hallways as fast as they could. Claus and Kumatora followed along behind them hurriedly.

"Hey, what the hell's going on?" Kumatora asked as they piled into the hallway four at a time, the foursome next to one another. Claus was squashed against one wall by Duster and Thomas the other by the pinkette. Claus felt a bit out of place compared to all the other people's various colored pigmask uniforms; he and Kumatora still donned their recruit uniforms.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Thomas answered. "We're being deployed."

Claus' eyes widened at the answer as they continued along the long hallway. De..ployed? As in, for a battle? Oh. Oh _shit._ Claus wasn't sure if he was ready for something like that yet. Not that he had much of a choice, being swept away by the current of bodies behinds and beside him. And anyway, he had PSI. A battle would be infinitely easier for him because of that. Right?

They marched up the stairs as one, elevators not nearly as efficient in this case. From the B floor to the C floor to the D floor and finally to the S floor. The secretaries and mundane workers saluted them as they marched their way out of the building, the slight breeze sending chills down Claus' spine. There were numerous tanks waiting for them, and one of the flying automobiles from that one night, Claus noticed, except that it was a bit bigger.

They all stopped in front of Fassad, who towered over all on a pedestal of sorts in order to see past everyone at the front. His face was devoid of any smile, his expression stoic and neutral. "Are we all here?" he asked, watching as a few stragglers hurried to the back of the mass. "Good. Now, then. You will all separate into your subsquadrons, and there will be a tank for each of you here, your designated tank. From there we will depart, as we are in a hurry today, but we will explain what our objective is en route. Is that understood?"

The crowd rippled beneath him as they all saluted the General. "Yes, sir!" they roared, Claus' a bit half-hearted. What was a subsquadron? And a designated tank? When people starter to move again, he stood there dumbly, feeling horribly out of place amongst the practiced soldiers around him.

He and Kumatora were pulled aside immediately though, a strong grip on each of their arms. A quick look up revealed the culprit to be none other than Brigadier General Ike, smiling humorlessly down at them. "Good afternoon, you two."

"Oh, hello, Brig Gen, fancy meeting you here," Kumatora greeted him dryly, watching as everyone else seemed to know exactly where to go as they moved to their specific tanks with aplomb. "Mind telling us what in the world a subsquadron is?"

"No need," the tall man said, dragging them away with him to the lone automobile sitting not far away from them. "You guys are PSI users; you get distributed as we see fit depending on what kind of skirmish we're dealing with. Now come with me."

Fassad greeted them as they entered said automobile. "Ah, my two aces," he said as they began buckling themselves into place. "Now that we are all here, I believe we're ready. Give the command in thirty seconds, Delaney."

Colonel Delaney Smith, who was also present upon closer inspection, nodded once, her face neutral. "Yes, sir."

Fassad turned back to the younger two. "I would explain what it going on, but frankly, it would be futile to do so when Delaney here will be saying the same thing to everyone else via radio transceiver. So, I say get comfy and wait for the speech, shall we?"

Not that they had much of a choice. Nevertheless, the both of them nodded. Ike sat down beside Delaney, who was at the far end of the long automobile. Fassad sat in the middle to be seen by all, and Claus and Kumatora sat nearest the drivers, separated from them by a thick pane of plastic. They waited in a somber silence for the thirty seconds to tick past. Claus couldn't help but try to picture an all-out between the Pigmask Army and some other force to be reckoned with. It wasn't a very encouraging thought.

"Attention," Delaney finally began, holding a small mic connecting with the radio to her face. "All tanks move out immediately. I repeat, all tanks move out."

There was a dull rumble coming from outside, signaling her orders being followed. There had to be at least a dozen of those machines outside; it made Claus wonder wherein the world they found all the stuff to make them with, and who did so, for that matter.

She continued. "All tanks should be equipped with the correct coordinates to our destination. Tanks H through J will stop at the specified location and wait for further instruction." She took a deep breath. "Now, our objective today is to head off a group of armed Shinra'ta members near the outskirts of Getts and take as many hostages as we can get."

Claus had heard the name Getts before. It was primarily a farming community, where places like New Pork City and Port Duckett obtained a lot of their food from. It made sense that it was a top priority of the Army's; food was a critical resource.

"We are aware that Shinra'ta raiders are quick to flee at the sign of anyone fighting back. Therefore, we will surround the approximate area they've targeted as stealthily as possible, requiring that tanks H through J head out as infantry today. And I cannot stress this enough; this is _not_ a drill."

She went on with describing in greater detail the plan and how it would be carried out. She didn't mention anything about them, though, them being those seated in the now-flying automobile. Claus seriously doubted Fassad's fighting ability, but suspected that both Delaney and Ike would be the first ones out there, tearing the murderous fiends apart as much as they could without killing the lot. He crossed his legs idly, trying to ignore that none-too-foreign buzz of anxiety in the back of his mind. There was no way in hell he was chickening out like some sort of coward now. He had people to protect, and though this was a really indirect way of doing it, do it he would.

Once she was finished with her mini-lecture of a speech, a good fifteen minutes or so later, she placed the mic in its holster and sighed. "Now, for you two," she turned to face them fully now, face set in an expression devoid of any sort of kindness. "You both feel confident in your psychic abilities, correct?"

Kumatora nodded resolutely in response. Claus wasn't exactly keen on the prospect of being suddenly thrown into battle little more than a week after he'd even begun this strange and (literally) magical journey that was mastering PSI, but the boy nodded anyway. After all, what had he been expecting when he'd agreed to all this anyway? A bright, happy place full of rainbows and ponies?

She went on, knowing their answer would be affirmative before they'd even given it. "Good; you two will be leading our forces out once we have them good and surrounded so that they can't run away."

Claus eyes widened. "_What_?" redhead and pinkette alike practically exclaimed, completely taken aback. "But we're still only privates..." Kumatora pointed out, surprising Claus. He'd have thought her to be jumping at the chance to take a stand.

"And like we said, you're going to have to prove yourselves one day," Ike cut in on Delaney's behalf, leaning forward. "Why not today? It's a perfect opportunity. This will be our first official battle against them, as they won't be able to flee. You'll be heroes once people hear about our victory and how you led it."

Claus mentally laughed mirthlessly at how nonchalant he was about the whole thing, like they were going to win this fight absolutely flawlessly. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch..." he threw the quote out there, all his beforehand confidence dissipating. While he did have PSI, he had no experience whatsoever in warfare or fighting. Was this really going to be as easy as Ike made it out to be?

"But of course we'll do our best, right, Claus?" Kumatora nudged him in the side slightly, causing him to flinch.

"Well, of course," the boy replied. "I still need to whoop some ass for Lucas."

Kumatora grinned at him. "Right."

Fassad chuckled. "Yes. This is for the good of those you love and care about, to keep them safe. You're going to make them proud," he reminded them, his efforts to boost morale not as effective as he tried to make them.

The vehicle suddenly slowed, prompting the duo to look out the window. They hovered only about half a dozen feet above the ground, and one could make out manmade shapes in the distance, signaling their arrival. A few tanks could be seen spread out in what seemed to be part of a huge circle, one that spanned an impressive distance. Fassad grabbed the communication radio's mic and pressed a button. "General to C-02. What is the enemy's status?" he spoke into the small black box as they all landed with a small jolt.

There was a pause before a static-y voice answered his inquiry. "Code Green, sir."

"10-4." With that he put the mic away and motioned with his hands. "It's time."

They all exited the automobile in the following order: Kumatora hopped out first, then Delaney, after which Claus stepped out, followed closely by Ike, and finally Fassad bringing up the rear. They wasted no time, striding toward the circle with feeling, the Brigadier and Lieutenant Generals showing no emotion with their steady movements. Claus did not miss Kumatora's occasional stutters in her pacing, and knew that he himself was shaking ever so slightly.

"We will follow behind you two with about a score of soldiers," Delaney informed them as they penetrated the circle almost audibly, their boots crunching the viridian grass as they progressed. As she said this, extra soldiers (so Claus guessed) stepped into the little parade they made, making her words true. "Just stay on your guard, and don't hesitate to utilize your powers. Try not to kill anyone." The way she said that last statement, so casually, made Claus shudder.

The anxiety niggling in the back of his mind only grew and grew with every step they took. Even though they were surrounded by allies who would no doubt rush in once things took off, it was still more than a little unnerving knowing one was about to engage in potentially fatal combat. Claus noticed now just how well hidden their forces were; he couldn't even discern the immense circle from anything else anymore. What he did notice were the tiny buildings in the distance, giving him the idea that the town of Getts wasn't unlike his own Tazmily; he suddenly felt a tug of empathy for it's citizens, who had probably noticed what was going on by now.

And then, almost out of nowhere, there they were. Walking in a jumbled kind of formation, the Shinra'ta were actually there, in plain sight, heading right towards them. Claus, if asked, would have denied the pounding of his heart in his chest. He was not scared. War was easy. He had PSI. This would be no problem for him. He was not scared. He had a gun. Kumatora was right there with him. Ike and Delaney were right there with him. He _was not scared._

He couldn't afford be. He had something to do, someone to protect.

Upon closer inspection, the enemy troop looked...surprisingly _normal_. They had a uniform of sorts on, mostly camouflage that enhanced their usual strike-and-flee tactics. The appeared to have mundane weapons like swords and axes on them, but nothing like guns or anything was to be seen. With no helmets on, one could see that they looked just like normal Tazmily or New Pork citizens, with no major differences. It was almost baffling, how a group so demented in ideals could be so undetectable aesthetically. How many could be spying on the Pigmask Army by working for them undercover? It was a scary thought. Claus had no idea what he'd been expecting; their skin to be a bright green color, maybe? But it was still something that took him aback for a split-second, the nearly overwhelming apprehension he felt disappearing just for a moment.

There was a man who stood out from the rest, quite literally; he led the forces straight toward them even when he'd noticed them, composure never dropping for an instant. Straight-backed, tall, a shiny tan skin tone, shaggy black hair and, when they got close enough, piercing brown eyes that almost looked red when the sun caught then just right. He looked young; older than Claus, for sure, but young. Mid-twenties, maybe. He gazed at Claus and those behind him with an expression mixed between loathing and amusement.

"So this is the Pigmask Army," the man spoke once they were a mere couple of meters away from each other. Kumatora was close behind him, Claus could tell, while the rest of the Shinra'ta seemed to want to keep their distance from the Army. He laughed. "I hope you don't think you've caught us off guard; we know we're surrounded."

"You're on our land with no doubt malicious intent," Fassad spoke from somewhere behind them. "You cannot expect to leave here the way you came, no?"

The man smirked. "But that's where you're wrong, my friend." He flexed his hand, and it sparked with a dimly colored energy, causing redhead and pinkette to gasp in unison. "I think we'll make it out okay; I'd be worried about yourselves."

The quietest of murmurs could be heard from behind them; _that_ was an unexpected twist.

Claus, never having been one to let someone else dish out taunts like some kind of badass and outshine him, quickly pointed two fingers to the sky, igniting them with his own pentagonal psychokinetic power. "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but that isn't exactly a one-up for you," he said dryly, feeling Kumatora shift beside him and knowing she had done something similar.

The look on the other guy's face was almost comical, his eyes widening and his smirk quickly fading as he looked at the two of them with an awestruck kind of expression. "You two...you," he struggled to find words, eyes lingering on Claus with the last statement. "I sense such _power_...you must be the Blessed One we were unable to locate back in Tazmily," he noted, his expression now serious and pensive. "Well, isn't this a surprise."

Claus' eyebrows went back. "Blessed One?" As he interpreted more of what he'd said, his garnet eyes began to glow with a fierce realization. "_Tazmily_?"

Fassad again bellowed from behind them. "Now, I'd say you are truly at a disadvantage now. Will you do the smart thing and surrender now? We will not harm you if you choose to comply."

The man was silent for a moment in intense thought before he began to giggle. His little fit escalated until he was howling with shrill, obviously forced laughter. "Please don't tell me you're serious. Do you take us for spineless fools? Of course you'll harm us, to get back at us for attacking your precious villages. There's no way we can back down now. We will not succumb to you or your unethical, chimeric ways of life," he spat, throwing a hand up into the air. "Shinra'ta, do not hold back! _Crush_ those who do not follow our footsteps in the name of High Priestess Joire and God himself!"

Kumatora and Claus were running before Fassad yelled his own orders. "Attack at will, but hostages are priority!"

Both Kumatora and Claus ran up to the only other PSI user present, the man who acted as the leader of the renegades. He smiled as they charged him, waving a hand at the pinkette. "Save your energy, pinky," he said. "My fight is with the boy and the boy only."

Kumatora hissed at him. "_Pinky_?"

Claus would have smiled had this been any other situation; but in the middle of a serious, potentially life-threatening battle was not the time. "Listen to him. Help the others. I can take him."

Kumatora shot him a wide-eyed look. "Claus," she said warningly, knowing just as well as he did that he was still practically brand new to PSI.

But Claus was a thickheaded boy. "Go. I got this."

She made a little noise in the back of her throat before swerving away to catch some other unlucky person. There was a sudden explosion of sound as weapons collided, machinery was utilized, and battle cries were shouted. Bodies seemed to merge together, the noise was deafening, and all civility had been abandoned. It was complete chaos.

The man looked amused. "You seem out of place," he commented casually, acting as if this kind of thing was an everyday occurrence. "This must be your first battle, am I right? The uniform looks a bit blasé, y'know. You look so young."

Claus growled. "Shut up. I'm not here to make small talk. You've made your choice and doomed your men; now we use force."

He chuckled. "Is that so? I've wondered just how powerful the Blessed One would be more than once before; this will be a learning experience. Alright then." He relaxed his body, crossing his arms nonchalantly. "Come at me, bro."

His humor in such a situation as this infuriated Claus to no end, along with his all-mightiness and addressing him as such an inferior. He knew he was doing exactly what the man wanted, but he couldn't hold himself back. "PK Fire!" he shouted, a bolt shooting out of his palm directly towards the other.

The man was surrounded by a plane of shining energy just in time, neutralizing his attack and negating it completely. He laughed at Claus' agape jaw. "You still shout your attacks for the enemy to hear? Not smart." His smile was instantly dropped as he crouched. "Now, you got your chance. We begin thus." And he launched himself at Claus, hands gleaming with malevolent PSI.

Claus dodged the first punch easily enough by casting his body to the opposite side, but the second follow-up fist grazed the side of his face and stung him, disorienting him. He was promptly kicked in the side by a booted foot and sent flying into the ground a little ways away. He hissed at the pain upon impact.

The man stood above him, looking down almost pitifully. "They really made you come out here and lead the army with such little experience? How silly."

Claus growled, fed up with this guy's douche-bag routine. "PK Fire!" he shouted once again, sending condensed fire from his hand and right into his chest. It made contact this time, knocking him back while Claus jumped up from the ground and rushed him himself, winding back and punching him in the gut. The redhead felt the anxiety turn into adrenaline, which rushed through his veins and empowered him, and he gained confidence because of this successful combo.

It was probably a hit to early to assume he'd taken the lead, though. The man did not flinch, instead grabbing Claus by the hair and pulling hard, causing him to cry out. He then slapped a hand to his neck, pulsating with energy, jolting him enough to fall back onto the ground with a loud _FLUMP_. Claus was unable to breathe for a moment, completely bested by the maneuver. Was that even a PK attack, or him just channeling his power into a single hit? It would be nice to know how to do that.

The massive noise in the background faded into static as Claus' mind raced, analyzing all possibilities. One, he could keep performing like this and wind up dead to this son of a bitch, which was not happening. Two, he could step up his game and kick this guy's ass into the dirt, take him as a hostage and interrogate the shit out of him. That sounded good. Said guy was looming over him now, no doubt deciding how he was going to finish Claus off. Too bad he wouldn't get the chance. But how to counter? He could PK Shield anything he cast with no problems.

Then Claus remembered. _I have a gun!_ Fingers fumbling slightly, he whipped the thing out of it's holster on his belt and fired it up at his assailant without a second thought. He felt his own energy being pulled into the gun and converted into a bullet type projectile before bursting out the tip at an impressive speed. It hit him square in the chest once again, stunning him with how out-of-nowhere the attack was. Claus continued to fire until he managed to stand upright once more, dodging another swift lunge to the midsection.

The man finally caught on to the nature of the gun and summoned up another PK Shield, which of course deflected all further shots. "A gun that uses your own PSI energy...interesting indeed," he commented, hands down at his own belt now. "I prefer something a little more...precise." He slowly, almost cockily, slid a long katana out of the sheath on his belt Claus had completely overlooked until now, its blade winking unnervingly in the sunlight. Claus gulped. As much as he hated to admit it, the man was quite right. A shot from Claus' gun wouldn't kill you. But a well-aimed slash from that thing would do so instantaneously.

However, Claus wouldn't be deterred. "PK Thunder!" he called, sending several bolts congregated into a single stream of crackling electricity at him, successfully breaking his shield. He then continued to fire his gun, trying to keep his distance. The hits were beginning to wear on the man, that much was obvious; his posture was screwed up and his limbs were slightly straining. Claus was sure he himself didn't look too hot, either.

The man put up yet another PK Shield, again laughing at him. "Your strategy might be good, but remember: you can only keep that up for so long."

Claus' eyes narrowed dangerously, but he knew that the man had a valid point. He could already feel his power weakening from the number of times he'd shot his PSI-powered pistol, and the fight was still in full-swing. On top of that, the man had that deadly katana in his hands, successfully barring him from any kind of close combat. But Claus had a plan. A risky, poorly thought out plan, but a plan it was. The scuffles around them had lessened dramatically; one could see that a lot of Shinra'ta had been taken as captives, hands bound and stripped of all weapons. The man across from him looked slightly distracted and troubled because of this. The redhead figured he could afford one more PK Thunder.

Claus took a moment to mentally prepare himself before he charged the man one more time. "PK Thunder!" he cried, throwing the glowing, crackling pike of energy straight at his enemy, again causing his shield to shatter into tiny specks of dissipating energy. Claus again began shooting his gun, but instead of keeping his distance, he advanced, firing hard enough to keep him from performing another PK Shield. He was careful to regulate them; he needed enough power left over to finish him off, and he only had one shot at this. There was no room for error. Once up close, the man readied his katana, waiting for Claus to enter his range of motion, eagerly looking forward to a chance to slice him up. In an impressive display of cunning from a newbie such as the redhead, he actually managed to fake him out, feinting to the left and rerouting to the right as the man brought his blade down in vain. He looked at Claus with wide eyes as the boy threw his arms out at him with an air of finality. "PK Love!" he called out as loud as possible, pouring every ounce of energy he had left into the technique. The brilliant blue lights danced around almost lazily before tearing into the man mercilessly, doing more than enough damage to fell him. As Claus used his remaining momentum to jump up and deliver the final blow, however, there was one thing that he hadn't accounted for.

The man managed to bring his katana up and around for one last swing as he swayed to the side, slashing with all his might at the redhead haphazardly. To Claus' horror, the blade did more than just make contact with him; it sliced through the skin on his lower right arm like it was butter, making sickening sounds as it cut through tissue and muscle and even bone. The pain was so much more hardcore than anything else he'd ever experienced, and he _screamed_ bloody murder as his foot collided with the man's head hard, knocking him silly. The boy toppled over him, falling onto the ground in a crumpled heap, completely and utterly rendered incapable of moving by his critical injury, still yelling out loud. He didn't even know if the arm was even still attached or not; he just knew it hurt _like a bitch_.

Warm liquid that he knew was his own blood pooled around him, staining the bright green and healthy grass a striking red color. All thought processes having dissipated, he was hard pressed to even breathe as he struggled to recollect himself in vain. He heard more than saw feet rushing towards him, and his last thoughts were hopes that they were his allies rather than his foes before his world went completely dead. 

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Another chapter, woo! Does anyone even read this? Lol. I bet a lot of people gave up on me. I know I almost did. One that didn't though, namely **__**Malus42**__**, encouraged me to write this up again, and for that I thank them. Also want to thank **__**a**__**fterdawn9x**__**, because you're the only one that's reviewed in like months. Tank yew sou mawch. And sorry about the length. It's a bit short. I actually went back and tried to buff it up a bit, but that only brought it up to like 4.9k as opposed to the normal 6k+. Apologies. Didn't want to sound like a rambling idiot. But I already do because of this very sentence... -shame-**_

So, cliffhanger, anyone? Poor Claus. He must suffer, it is for the good of the people! -shot- Also, please tell me if the fight scene is any good. I'm more than a hit rusty, so apologies for any stupidities.

Questions? Comments? Flames? Leave me a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. I'll love you forever.

Hasta luego~. C: 


	10. X Back in Tazmily

_**DISCLAIMER: Sad as it seems, I own nothing.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Lucas yawned, rubbing his eyes with his left hand and stirring beneath the plain white sheets of the bed he slept in. Morning already? It sure did seem to come fast, didn't it? Carefully hoisting his legs over the edge of the bed, he grabbed the crutches that leaned on the side of his little nightstand before tentatively standing up, keeping all weight on his right foot as he hopped over to the other side of the room.

Stopping in front of his dresser, he pulled he top drawer open and rummaged around in it for clothes he could wear that day. He decided on the usual red and yellow striped shirt and denim shorts, since he was feeling rather nostalgic. Hobbling back to his bed, he shed his pajamas so he could put them on, again being careful so as not to disturb the casts on his left foot and right arm. His forearm was nearly healed, but he still didn't want to take any chances.

Throwing the used clothes into the bathroom to take care of later, he sighed and lowered himself back down on the bed, laying splayed out and staring up at the ceiling. Last night, he couldn't stop thinking about Claus. It had been almost three weeks now since he'd left Tazmily, and he hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye. Fuel had told him that Claus sounded really frustrated when he told him that he didn't have a choice, so Lucas accepted his brother's course of action without a second thought.

...until now, though. The blonde couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't gotten a letter or something from him yet. Though he was being a bit selfish. Claus was probably really busy in that army, wasn't he? He didn't have much time to spare. Not even for his brother...

_No, stop it._ Lucas shook his head furiously. _Don't go blaming him. You're just being clingy and stupid. There's a logical explanation for it. It's not like he went away just because he got tired of you or something. There's more to it than that._

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He lifted his head a bit to see Fuel open the door a crack and peek inside, grinning at him. "Hey, Lucas," he greeted, opening it wider upon discovering his friend fully dressed and awake. "Good morning."

"Fuel," Lucas also smiled at him, letting his head fall back into the sheets. "You know you don't have to come every day just to check up on me, right? Contrary to popular belief, I can take care of myself," he reminded lightly, though he wasn't unhappy to see his brunette buddy. Fuel was like Claus now that the latter was gone; it seemed like he was always there, looking out for him.

"Oh, I know," he replied lazily, strolling over to where Lucas lay on the bed. "But do you know how hard Claus would kick me if he found out that I didn't? Plus, I want to, anyway." He grinned again.

Lucas pulled himself up, standing upright and supported by his crutches once more. "Alright, if you say so. But don't expect me to just sit in here today. I need to get some kind of exercise."

"Then put your Converse on so we can run some laps!"

"Don't be stupid."

"Stupid's a mean word."

"Well, don't act like it and I wouldn't have to say it."

Fuel just mock-frowned at him as Lucas quickly slipped a flip flop on his good foot and Made his way out of the room. "You're not being fair," he whined as he closed the door behind him.

Lucas looked back at him. "Life isn't fair."

The pair walked down the plush-carpeted hallway silently for a moment, as Fuel evaluated his friend's demeanor. Sunshine streaked in through the windows that lined said hallway, illuminating the white walls and brightening everything up. They eventually made it to the tiled lobby, where there was even more glass; the French doors and some of the walls, even, were made of it. The people working the front desk waved at them, knowing exactly who they were. "Y'know, you've been a lot more pessimistic lately."

Lucas waved back at them with a smile. "Well, I'm not in much of a position to be optimistic, now am I?"

Fuel held the door open for him, his face now serious. "Of course you are. You're...alive."

Lucas stopped outside at his words, and Fuel stood beside him, letting the door close itself behind him. They stood in front of the Yado Inn, where Lucas now lived temporarily. His suite had been provided by the Pigmask Army, apparently. Claus must have done that. It was really thoughtful of him, Lucas would think. The slight breeze felt wonderful to the blonde, who had been cooped up in his room for the better part of the week. The thought that, had help been just a few minutes later that night, he might not be here, skin tickled by the breeze, instead part of the ashes laying amongst the ruins of his family's home. He decided that Fuel had a decent point. "True."

Fuel ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair and smiled once more. "But don't let me be a Debbie downer now. Let's do something worthwhile, okay?"

Lucas chuckled, glancing over at the other boy. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking you could get a tan while you watched me go for a swim at the beach. ...oh, you know I'm kidding," he laughed when Lucas shot him a half-hearted glare.

They began to walk to the south, away from town, with no clear destination in mind. "Either way, though, it doesn't matter. What do you want to do?"

Lucas was silent for a moment, breathing the crisp morning air with a serene look on his face. "Let's just walk."

"Sounds like a plan."

And so the two walked. And walked. And walked some more. An hour or so they spent just wandering along, whether it was through the grassy plains or across the sand of the small beach. Fuel got smacked for laughing at Lucas' near dangerous mishap when his crutch got stuck in the wet sand and he nearly fell over. They kept their distance from the lapping waters after that. The crunching of the dry sand beneath their feet was rather calming. It was a mystery as to why there never seemed to be anyone else there to enjoy the tranquility.

"I've been wondering about Claus lately," Fuel spoke after a period of content silence between the two. "You haven't heard from him, have you?"

Lucas felt a small twinge of sadness when the brunette brought that particular subject up; he couldn't help but feel like he was being...ignored. "...no, I haven't."

Fuel snorted. "Figures. He promised he'd explain everything, but so far he's yet to do it. Can't help but think he ran off with that pink-haired woman."

The blonde's eyes narrowed at the thought of such a thing. The fact that it was really the only explanation they could come up with thus far was even more disheartening. Not that Claus didn't have the right to like someone...but why did he have to leave to do it? Though it was probably better that way, for Lucas wasn't sure if he could handle seeing them act all lovey-dovey in his presence. Truth be told, he didn't want Claus to be romantically involved with anyone else. And yes, he was more than aware of how selfish and unacceptable that desire was. He'd come to terms with that long ago. He sighed aloud, and he would have rubbed his temples had his hands been free to do it. Lucas really hoped that theory wasn't true.

Fuel chuckled at his companion's reaction. "Again, just joking. He isn't so immature as to do something like that, not anymore."

The reassurance didn't help much, but Lucas smiled back anyway. "Guess you're right."

Fuel looked at him. "You don't sound too convinced."

Lucas dropped the smile, Fuel having seen right through it. "I know. I'm just not really sure what to think."

Fuel put his arms behind his head as thy walked on. "Well, that's understandable. He told us basically nothing. But I know him. Maybe not as well as you do, but I know him. There'll be some crazy reason, but it'll probably be sufficient enough to explain all this. Y'know?"

Lucas smiled again, and this time the expression was sincere. "Yeah. If anything, I trust him. He's never let me down before."

Fuel chuckled. "Same."

They walked on for a little ways, before Fuel suggested they head back from where they came. Lucas agreed; it was almost noon, and he hadn't eaten at all today. They could probably stop by Isaac's shop for something to eat once they got back.

The trip back was as uneventful as the way there. They meandered their way northward again, Lucas enjoying the natural scenery of the southern outskirts. It was all lush and green, seemingly untouched by technology and just living and growing at its own pace. It reminded him of years ago, when he was little and Tazmily was a teeny village home to little over seventy-five people. He missed those days, but no one could deny the convenience of today's advances in applied science and the like.

Getting to the square was the hard part of their little excursion. It was a fair ways away from the Yado Inn, so they had to cross multiple streets to get there. Lucas was unable to go very fast in his crutches, as he hadn't had much experience with the things so far, so he was constantly only barely making to the other side of the road in time, before the traffic began to move again. Nerve-wracking as it was, they eventually made it to the central square with minimal injuries.

Taking the east side, they slipped inside the shop as Lucas had hoped. Upon entry, greetings were uttered in their direction by many, including its employees. Most people knew each other in this town, especially those who were here pre-Pork Age.

"Hey, you two."

"Hi, Fuel."

"What's up, Lucas?"

Lucas smiled up at she who had called his name. Cathrine was his brother's (former, he supposed) work partner and friend. They had met a couple times previously, and she was a nice enough person. "Good morning, Cathrine."

"Morning?" Cathrine laughed. "It's past twelve. But same to you."

Fuel started at this news. "Wait, seriously?" he asked, though he doubted Cathrine would joke about something as trivial as the time. "Aww, damn! Dad's gonna murder me if I'm not back by twelve thirty," he ran up to where Cathrine stood behind the counter. "Gimme a pretzel, quick."

"...'scuse me?"

"Oh, please."

"That's more like it." She turned to Lucas, who had tottered up beside the brunette. "And for you?"

"A pretzel sounds good."

"Alright." She nodded and flicked a little switch on the back of a machine next to her on the counter, one that held numerous pretzels in it and kept them warm with an orange light from the top. Opening the door, she pulled two out with a napkin on each expertly, closing the door with her elbow and holding the snacks out to the boys. "Here you are."

Lucas balanced his left crutch and took it, an apologetic look on his face. "Thanks, but I just remembered I forgot my wallet back at the room..."

Fuel waved the thought off, holding out a couple paper bills to the raven-haired girl before them. "No worries, man, I got you."

Cathrine laughed. "Actually, you don't owe me anything. It's free snack day today; you can get any snack that's 200 DP or lower for absolutely nothing."

"Seriously? How often does that happen?"

"Every year."

Fuel scratched the back of his neck, chuckling as he put his wallet away and took the other pretzel from her grasp. "Talk about blind luck..." Then he turned back to Lucas. "I hope you don't mind, but I gotta haul ass back to the construction site. Want me to walk you back to the Yado before I go?"

Lucas smile was a tad forced; why was it that everyone took him for some kind of little kid that couldn't take care of himself? Crutches or not, he was capable enough. "Fuel, c'mon. I'm not completely helpless. Go. I'll be fine."

Fuel grinned. "If you say so," he said as he walked to the door, half the pretzel already down his throat. "See ya."

"Bye," both Lucas and Cathrine called, watching as the partially glass doors shut behind him. Lucas, unable to eat and walk at the same time, began to munch on his own salty snack, relishing the taste after no breakfast that morning.

Cathrine, with nothing else to do and no customers to serve at the moment, rested her chin on a hand, propping it up with her elbow. "So you're feeling better, huh? Must be nice to be out and about again."

Lucas laughed. "Yeah, definitely," he said, taking another bite. "Not being able to walk is a real pain."

She nodded in agreement. "I could imagine," she smiled as she said this, watching Lucas eat idly. After a moment this smile flipped into a frown and her eyes lost the amusement they were known for. "Say, you haven't heard from Claus yet, have you?"

Lucas immediately stopped chewing and blinked. How many times would he be asked that today? He didn't need people rubbing that fact that his brother had left him with not so much as an explanation in an almost critically injured and disabled state in his face. "...no," he answered as he swallowed his bite. "I haven't."

She frowned even more, looking away with half-lidded eyes. "Weird. You'd think he'd have done something by now."

Lucas stared at her as something in his mind finally clicked. Cathrine _liked_ Claus, didn't she? The few times he'd been around the two together at work, she would tease him almost flirtatiously, they'd been working together for nearly a year now and second thing she asks him was about Claus. It made perfect sense once he thought about it. Geez, there was quite a bit of competition for his twin, wasnt there? The mysterious pink-headed woman, now Cathrine...he knew of others that doted on Claus, too, other local girls around their age. He'd never really had a shot, anyway, but this just further axed his chances.

That being said, he decided to ask her, just to make sure. "Cathrine," he began, swallowing yet another mouthful of pretzel, "do you like Claus?"

She seemed surprised at the sudden question, but quickly smiled. "Yeah, of course. He's cool. Why?"

Lucas blinked. "No. I mean, y'know, _like_ like."

She leaned back a bit, looking nearly horrified at such an accusation. "Woah, what? No, of course not. No offense, but your brother isn't my type. He's too...contradicting? He's cool most of the time, but when it gets down to it he's really uptight and serious. Though that's to be expected, considering what he's been through..." she trailed off, giving Lucas an apologetic glance. "Er, sorry. Just a friend to me. Plus, I'd never date a ginger."

Lucas stared at her blankly for a moment before he began to laugh, throwing his head back and allowing his lungs to spaz freely. Cathrine didn't know what was so funny, but she giggled at the blonde's contagious mirth. "What's so funny?"

He settled down, leaning on the counter lightly for support. "Oh, nothing really. I've just never heard anyone refer to Claus as a ginger. That's hilarious, and I don't know why." That was partly true, anyway; he was also laughing at how silly he'd been to assume Cathrine had a crush on his brother. Not every female was an enemy.

The door opened behind him, causing the bell attached to it to ring and alert those working the shift right then. Cathrine looked past him to see a couple people in business attire walking toward her, wallets out and all. "Well, here's lunch hour," she sighed, straightening out her apron and tightening her long ponytail.

"Right on time, huh?" Lucas smiled, crumpling up the napkin that once held his pretzel and throwing it in the trash can next to him. "I'll get out of your way."

Cathrine grinned at him. "Good idea, you might get trampled. Bye," she replied, giving him a small wave.

Lucas returned the expression. "Later."

Thanking the man who took the time to hold the door open for him, Lucas was back outside and on his way back to the Yado without a second thought. What else was there for him to do, anyway? He could stop and sit by the water fountain for a while, because that always managed to calm him somehow, but it required him to cross the streets two extra times, and that was something he could definitely live without. He instead opted to cross the east/westbound street and go southward, back in the general direction of his temporary new home.

A couple blocks down, he was nearly there when a voice stopped him. "Lucas! Lucas, wait!"

He halted his movement and turned around to see Nan running toward him, many papers in her hand. She stopped beside him, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. Mystified, Lucas greeted her. "Hi, Nan."

She smiled at him once she regained her composure. "Hello, Lucas," she replied, nodding at him. She filed through the papers in her hold. "Sorry this is a bit late. It didn't have an address, so they gave it to me to send back, but I recognized the name easily enough," she told him, seemingly locating the document she was after. "I would have left it for you at the Inn, but I wanted to see the look on your face when you saw it," she smiled, holding a single envelope out to him.

When Lucas turned his attention to it, he nearly did a double take. His heart skipped a beat or six when he saw the handwriting on the thing, and even more so the return address, which wasn't so much an address as a name.

_Claus Itoi._

With eager hands he took he letter from her, thanking her profusely. "Oh, my God. Thank you, Nan, thank you," he said, feeling the letter curiously. It didn't have much in it, just a few pieces of paper, but that was all Lucas needed.

She laughed, pushing a stray strand of short blonde hair out of her eyes. "You're quite welcome," she insisted, realigning her papers once more. "I wonder what he has to say about all this..."

Lucas glanced up at her. "Hmm?"

She laughed again. "Oh, nothing. Just give him my regards, will you?"

He beamed at her. "Will do!"

"Good." She yawned. "Well, better get going. I have a lot more to do. Bye, Lucas," she waved at him, staring off in the direction from where she came, the north.

"Have a good day," he waved back at her before tucking the letter under his arm carefully and protectively before he continued his trek back home. He would not lose this letter. He was so anxious and excited he would have torn it open right there, but the boy valued privacy above most else, so off he went. Who knows, he might get emotional or something.

He thanked the man who held the glass door open for him and hurried down the plush, neat hall as fast as he could. This wasn't the first time he'd felt grateful for a first-floor room. Fishing the key out of his pocket, he unlocked his door and threw it open, hopping inside before shutting it once again and striding over to his bed, where he belly-flopped down on the sheets, not even caring that his crutches clattered to the floor loudly. The only thing that mattered right now was the letter he now held in his hands, written by his dear brother just for him.

Carefully opening it up with his fingers, he slid the papers out gently and unfolded them, discovering three total sheets had been enclosed. He smiled at his twin's nearly indecipherable chicken scratch for a moment before he began to read.

_Dear Lucas,_

Hey, man. How are you? Your leg will be alright, right? Your arm? I bet you're not liking having to spend all day in bed. You're probably not gonna like the crutches either, haha. Lucas grimaced in agreement._ As for me, I'm doing fine. I feel guilty, you know, being able to walk and all. _The blonde snorted.__

Where are you living now? It's nice, right? If it isn't, I'll get you something better, somehow. It doesn't get cold at night like our house did, does it? If so, I hope you've got some spare blankets around, haha. Also, did you get the money yet? Lucas frowned, having no clue what he was talking about here._ If not, it should be there soon. It's for living expenses, 'cause I know you can't go to work with a screwy leg. _Oh. That was...really thoughtful of him._ I'm hoping it's enough. If it isn't, tell me. I'll send more.  
__  
Life here isn't as bad as you'd think. The training is a bitch, but it's getting easier as I go. I've got eleven bruises so far. I bet I'll have fifty by the time I'm done with it all. I'm actually getting into shape, though. Remember when we had to sprint to work that one time, like two weeks ago? I bet I could cut that time in half, haha. _Lucas grinned, remembering all to well that day._ The people here are okay too. There's this girl, Kumatora. She has pink hair! It must be dyed, huh? But she insists it's natural. She's my sparring partner, and don't laugh, but she kicks my ass! _Lucas couldn't help but giggle despite the warning_. If you could see her in action, you'd know what I mean._

My room here is small, but it gets the job done. I'm reading Frankenstein with my spare time. You recommended it to me, remember? It's kinda boring. He rolled his eyes at his brother's taste._ Maybe it gets better, but I've given up on it for now. We have to wear these stupid pink uniforms, too. They're hideous...but at the same time kinda snazzy. If they were blue, then they'd look awesome. At night it gets really quiet. I miss you sleeping next to me. _Lucas' heart nearly stopped at that sentence. It made him feel good, to be missed. Maybe not to the extent Lucas missed him, but missed nonetheless.__

So, yeah. New Pork City. I wish you could see it, Luke, this place is amazing. So many buildings and lights and roads that make everything connect like a huge spiderweb...it's almost too much to process at first. The buildings are purple. The roads are purple. The sky is even purple at some times of day! It's all like something out of a dream you get when you eat too late at night. Lucas was intrigued by his brother's interpretation of the city. It sounded like a strange and yet interesting place._ Of course, I have to stay on the base six of the seven days in a week, so I haven't been out much. In fact, I haven't been out at all. But I'll probably get around to it sometime soon. I'm afraid I might get lost though, haha._

But I think that's enough about me. Lucas...I'm sorry. I'm a total idiot, huh? Picking that day of all days to bail out. Please believe me when I say I didn't mean to, though. I'm so sorry I wasn't there when the house caught fire. I...I should have been there. It should have been me. But don't worry, Luke, it won't happen again. They won't attack Tazmily anymore. Lucas wondered how Claus could be so sure about this, but then remembered it must have something to do with his place in the army. He must have heard things_. Trust me when I say I had to leave. If I had any other choice, I would've stayed. I want so bad to explain, but you wouldn't believe me even if I sat in front of you and told you the reasons to your face. _He frowned down at that sentence, wondering what could possibly be so unbelievable that he wouldn't believe his twin's word._ It's better this way in the long run; I earn enough money to support us both, and I can get those bastards back for what they did. It's a win-win scenario. I hope to God you don't resent me for this. I'd understand, but I hope that's not the case... _Lucas smiled. Of course not. There was no way Lucas could ever hate Claus.__

My hand is starting to hurt now. I think I covered everything I wanted to, though. It's late, and I'm tired, so I'm gonna go to sleep. Good night, love you, sweet dreams, or whatever, haha. Write back soon, okay?

Truly yours,

Claus

P.S. Sorry there's no address...I don't know yours yet. Hell, I don't even know mine...  
  
Lucas found himself laughing near uncontrollably at the letter, hunched over with overflowing mirth. Not because the letter was funny, but because of how natural it felt reading it. Even though it was a bunch of scribbling on a couple sheets of paper, Lucas could almost hear his brother's voice reading the sentences aloud in his head, and that voice was enough to strengthen the trust he had for the other. His laugher died away in his throat when he realized how stupid and overly analytical he'd been earlier that day. Now he felt bad. How could he have thought such things about his brother, his Claus, the same one that had been supporting him for years now on his own? Lucas could've slapped himself.

But self-reprimanding could be done later. Right now he had all sorts of questions and things to say to his brother regarding his absence and their daily lives now and just the world in general. He had to get to a pen before all the thoughts left him.

Too engrossed in the process of remembering his questions to care about his crutches, he toddled his way to the desk across from the bed, thankful there were some spare pieces of paper there to work with. Clicking a pen open, the boy suddenly realized something. He was right-handed, and his right hand was still off limits. Lucas nearly fell to his knees in self-depreciation. _Damn it all!_ How was he supposed write back if his hand was out of commission?

Cursing his luck, he grabbed a large, flat book titled 'Room Service' before migrating back to the bed, sitting with legs criss-crossed and right hand keeping the paper in place. Gripping the pen awkwardly in his left, he slowly began penning his words on the paper, taking his time so as to make the letters look as good as he possibly could, which even then wasn't all that great.

Even so, he pressed on; he would not be foiled by a mere inability to write with both hands. He doodled with it to make sure it wasn't dried or out of ink, and practiced his handwriting by writing a few sample sentences. After the obligatory _Dear Claus_, he wrote about his current condition, how his arm was almost healed, and even joked about his current predicament and commented on how nice it would he to be ambidextrous. Looking back at the redhead's letter, he agreed on the comment about crutches and how he wouldn't like them.

Lucas went on to address the other things in Claus' letter, answering the questions he'd asked and sharing his own thoughts and responses on the other's description of his new daily routine and where he now resided. He also detailed his own quartering and updated him on the happenings of town, though there wasn't much to speak of. It was funny, really, how Lucas had never really noticed what little went on in Tazmily until prompted to discuss it. He wondered how hectic city life was in comparison, so he wrote that question down, too.

There wasn't really much else to say after that, but what Lucas did make sure to get down was that he was accepting of Claus' course of action, and that of course he didn't hate him. He debated on whether or not to press his twin for details regarding why exactly he felt the need to get out of town or how he could know for certain the Shinra'ta or whatever they were called wouldn't be back anytime soon, but decided against it. If Claus wanted to tell him, he would have with the first letter. Maybe it was confidential information or something. Either way, he dropped the topic, instead forming a sentence telling him that he'd gone to visit Mom and Dad without him a couple of days ago and had given them his regards on his behalf.

There was a definite pain in his hand from straining it so hard to write semi-well, and he noted just how much time had passed—well over an hour—since he'd started drafting his letter out, but he was satisfied with the contents. Hastily scribbling a (Your Brother? Guh, like he needed to be reminded...Truly Yours? No, couldn't just copy Claus' like that...Sincerely? Oh God, that was way too informal...) _Love You Always, Lucas_ on the bottom, he folded it neatly and set it aside, flexing his fingers and sighing. Now all he needed was an envelope, which he had none of.

After a few minutes of allowing his brain to recharge, he picked his crutches up off the floor and walked to his desk once more, shoving his wallet into his pocket. Slipping a flip flop on his good foot, he hobbled out of the room once again, this time on a mission.

_-asdfjkl;-_

The letter safely tucked under his arm, Lucas made his way to the northeast of town as the sun set behind him, determined. At the store he'd purchased an envelope to send his reply in as well as the stamp needed for postage. He had also labelled it there, though he had no clue what Claus' address was, and he didn't think 'Claus Itoi, New Pork' was going to cut it, like 'Lucas Itoi, Tazmily' had. But he would not lose to his lack of knowledge; surely the Pigmask Army Tazmily Division Headquarters (whew, that was a mouthful) could tell him where his brother resided, exactly?

That was where he was headed to now, and after the next turn in the road, he could see the building wasn't too far away. It was certainly eccentric-looking, with the purple exterior and blue tinted glass, complete with the weird white spikes sticking out of the side. It made him tentative to approach, but Lucas scolded himself. _It's just a building. What's it going to do, come alive and eat you?_ Pushing any hesitance away, he approached the structure boldly, a determined look on his face. This nonchalant facade was all but shattered by the automatic doors opening up for him when he got close to them. He flinched back and stared in wonder for a moment before proceeding inside. _Well, isn't that convenient?_

A man sitting behind the desk inside looked up at him and smiled, pausing what he was doing to address him. "Good evening. What can I do for you?"

Lucas was slightly distracted by the place's inner decor; the Army's alleged infatuation with purple and pink hues didn't seem at all intimidating in theory, but when executed here it did have a sense of seriousness to it, the usually frivolous colors now dark and almost gloomy on the walls and ceilings. "Uh, hello," he replied, walking up to this man and bowing his head slightly in greeting. "I was wondering if you could help me out with something."

The man folded his arms together. "Shoot."

Lucas looked down at his letter. "Well, I was going to send a letter to someone in the army, but I don't know their address," he took said letter from his armpit and examined it one more time, like he was checking to make sure it wasn't there. "Is it possible for you to tell me what it is?"

The man stroked his chin. "Well, as long as you have a name, I should be able to."

Lucas sighed in relief and smiled. "Okay, great."

He began tapping away at his keyboard for a moment. "Name?"

"Claus Itoi."

The man paused at looked up at him, studying his face. "What's your relation to him?"

Lucas noted that the man hadn't even typed a name in, so that meant he must've know Claus personally. "Do you know him?"

"Most everyone does now. Now answer my question."

_Most everyone does now. What does he mean by that?_ "He's my brother."

Now the man began typing. "Oh really? What's your name?"

Lucas frowned, but obliged him. "Lucas."

The man read the screen for a moment. "Huh. I guess you are. That's pretty cool. I bet you're proud of your brother, huh?"

The blonde's expression turned confused. "What do you mean?"

A woman who had been furtively eavesdropping from behind suddenly whirled around to face them. "You mean you really don't know?" she asked, her tone genuinely curious.

Lucas was starting to feel like an idiot. "Uh...no?"

The man chuckled. "You've heard about the battle of Getts, right?" he paused, and his expression became even more amused when he registered the clueless look on Lucas' face. "Well, the Shinra'ta were spotted over there. Your brother led army forces down there to face them, and we won! No fatalities. Got several captives to interrogate, too," he gushed, nodding along with himself. "I hear he's being promoted to a really high position or something."

Lucas was nearly at a loss for words. "...seriously?" he breathed, eyes wide in shock. _His_ Claus, leading a battle (his first, at that) and winning? With no casualties? That was amazing. That was _unheard of_.

"Mhmm. He's what everyone's talking about right now. We all basically worship him," he laughed, tugging the letter from Lucas' hands, which were unresponsive. "You wanted to get this to him? I'll make sure he sees it."

Lucas blinked a few times before bowing his head again. "Th-thank you. Good night," he excused himself quickly, eager to leave before he could look like a fool again. Walking out of the building as fast as he could go, he shook his head. It was embarrassing, someone else you don't even know telling you about your own brother's accomplishments. He wondered if Fuel or Cathrine had known about this when he'd seen them. Probably not, he thought, or they would've told him.

That being said, he was more than proud of his twin. What he'd done was by no means easy; even some generals had never accomplished such a feat. And he was a mere recruit. Of course people would be talking about him. But on top of that, it suddenly made sense. Claus had always had a protective way of caring for people, be it Lucas or Fuel or Mom or anyone, really. When he'd heard about the Shinra'ta, those feelings had flared up, and when they'd come and attacked Tazmily, it had sent him over the edge, and Claus was also stubborn and never one to waste time. Lucas finally understood it now, why he'd been left behind so abruptly.

The blonde paused his walking while waiting for a signal to cross the street, and looked up at the twinkling stars just beginning to peek out at him from the darkening sky. The subtle breeze lapped at his face and arms, filling him with a feeling of content he hadn't felt for a while. The boy grinned up at nothing, for a moment ignoring the light flashing at him and telling him to walk on the other side of the street.

He really was amazing, that Claus of his.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Surprise Lucas PoV chapter! I'm sure you're all positively **_**dying**_** to know what's happened to Clauseypoo, but this was well and good too, yes? Poor Lucas, he's been all but forgotten thus far. Not anymore. :B**_

There WILL BE another chapter up within like ten days. Count on it. And if there isn't, you all have permission to spam my inbox with strongly displeased PMs and such. Or something. I'm sure no one cares THAT much. :P

So...whaddya think? Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. And also thanks to those that did review! You guys are cool.

TO BE CONTINUED... C:


	11. XI The So Called Hero

_**DISCLAIMER: 1 d0n't 0wn 4nyth1ng h3r3, 1 p1nky sw34r.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Upon opening his eyes, the first thing he registered was the light. It was so bright, like he was staring straight at the sun while it was at its zenith. His pupils dilated and he was very tempted to close his eyes again and just give up on the whole waking up thing, but he managed to power through it, eyes adjusting and granting him a wider range of sight.

The bright light slowly separated into six smaller units, all shining right down on him. The only color he could see besides that was white; a white ceiling, a white-haired caucasian old man in a white lab coat and light gray (off-white, really) machinery towering beside him. There seemed to be wires connected to his body, some light and some more bulky; he wasn't sure what they were doing. It was cold, too, a little too cold for comfort. His mind felt muddled and sleepy, but he was conscious enough to infer that he was in a medical ward of some kind.

There was a dull pain in his head, chest and right arm, and suddenly, everything came flooding back to him: the battle, the man he'd faced, the smell of blood, his own injury. He didn't even remember how it had ended; the last thing he recollected was fainting right there in front of everyone, broken and drained of energy. His mouth went dry, and he closed his eyes again, not even willing to take a look down at the rest of his body. He was afraid of what he'd see.

The man above him seemed to notice he was awake. Quickly he motioned an aide over to him and whispered something to her. She nodded and hurried out of the room while he turned back to Claus, smiling a little. "So the hero is awake," he observed, taking a glance at the machine next to him. "How are you feeling?"

Claus didn't open his eyes. "Queasy," he muttered. His voice was faint.

The man chuckled. "To be expected," he replied, pressing a couple buttons on the machine. "You don't feel any severe pain, though?"

"...no. It's...dull."

"I see. Just as I thought." He began to fiddle with a few of the wires, disconnecting a couple of the suction cups attached to his chest and neck. "That's good, very good."

Claus grimaced. "How so?"

The man paused, giving the boy an almost pitying look that he couldn't see. "It's better to feel pain than nothing at all."

Claus' eyes shot open. "What? Wait a minute. What do you mean by that?"

Before the man could give him an answer, the door burst open quite loudly, and in charged Kumatora in all her glory, decked out in a snazzy blue uniform that wasn't unlike her original hoodie-dress thing. It was a darker blue and was obviously more fancy and formal, but it was still cut a bit short and suited her rather well. She was followed in by Brigadier General Ike Thompson, and both looked quite relieved to see him. Kumatora leaned over him, examining him. "Well, look at who's finally awake!"

Ike approached from the other side, looking not at his face but at the wires attaching to parts of him that Claus couldn't quite see himself. "We were afraid you'd gone comatose."

Claus raised an eyebrow. "Comatose? Just how long was I asleep?"

The man Claus didn't know spoke up here. "About five days."

Claus' eyes went unbelievably wide. "_Huh_? I was asleep for five days straight? How?" It was completely uncharacteristic of him to sleep for more than eight hours, let alone _five freaking days_.

The man shrugged. "We're not sure. Your body may have done it as some kind of defensive mechanism, or the drug we numbed you with might've caused some strange reaction with your PSI."

"Numbed me with?"

"You'd have been screaming if we hadn't."

"What are you talking about?"

Kumatora scratched her nose. "Claus, your arm," she pointed out, feeling no need to elaborate further.

Suddenly Claus' expression blanked. "Oh...right. So...you were able to save it...right?"

When they all went silent and shared a look, Claus knew that the answer was no.

"Well..." Kumatora trailed off, for once having no idea what to say.

"We were too late in getting you back to base." Ike finished for her, crossing his arms. "Doctor Andonuts here did as best he could with what little heads-up he'd had, but..."

"But what?" Claus prompted, beginning to feel nauseous. He had really lost a valuable limb? After only _one_ battle? "I'm stuck as an armless vet for the rest of my life?"

The man Ike had pointed out as Doctor Andonuts motioned towards his arm. "See for yourself."

Claus didn't want to look. He didn't want to see the gaping space where his arm was supposed to be; he he really might've thrown up then. How was he supposed to function without an arm? People would look at him funny forever more, simple everyday tasks would be rendered difficult and he'd be forever reminded of what a failure he'd turned out to be at fighting those who threatened to harm his loved ones. But he couldn't simply live in denial forever, could he? That would be even worse. As such, though he hated the thought, he slowly but surely he picked his head up to glance hesitantly down at where his arms rested by his side.

What he saw completely threw him for a loop.

From the elbow up, his arm was fine, just like anyone else's and natural-looking. A little pale, but perfectly okay. However, below was a whole different story entirely. It was metallic, all of it. It was around the same thickness a human forearm should be, but it was relative, staying the same and not slimming where the wrist should've been at all. There was also the fact that it had no hand on it at all. Instead, it was hollow at the tip, curving in so that it resembled a cannon or gun of some sort. Wires were connected to a little indentation of plugins in the right side of it, connecting the contraption to the machine Doctor Andonuts had been fiddling with earlier. Claus' expression was horrified and awed at the same time. The whole setup was like something out of a novel or a video box program; it seemed so unreal. Could this really be his new arm—well, new cannon thing?

"Wh...s-seriously?" was all he said as his gaze was locked on his lower arm's replacement.

Doctor Andonuts looked a bit sympathetic. "Yes, seriously. You are now much more...battle-ready, shall we say? You see, it is, as it looks, a cannon of sorts. It acts much like your PSI pistol did, converting your psionic energy into a projectile and launching it at will. Of course, to make it work, I had to do a bit of brain surgery..."

Claus' gaze snapped to him. "You did _what_?" That explained why his head was also in that dull sort of pain, at least.

Andonuts adjusted his glasses, pushing then back up his nose. "Now, now, it was completely safe. I merely had to insert a data chip, so your brain can give and interpret signals to and from the thing. We'll now have to make sure this works," he continued, disconnecting the wire's from Claus' mecha-arm. "Sit up, please?"

As shaken up as he felt, Claus obeyed the old man, curiosity arising from somewhere within the shock. Using only his left arm to push himself up, he did so, back resting against the head of the bed. Slowly, afraid he might do something wrong, he lifted his right arm until it was about parallel to his legs. It was a weird sensation; his arm was so much heavier.

Kumatora and Ike watched with eager expressions, dying to see how this would work out. While he more or less understood their fascination, he still felt uncomfortable. They kept staring at him, and it was a bit disorienting.

Doctor Andonuts gave him an approving little nod. "Good. Now bring the elbow to a ninety degree angle."

Again Claus followed instructions, willing his mechanical part to move toward him. It felt surprisingly natural and easy to do so, like it was the arm he'd been born with. However, he was reminded once again of how out-of-place it was upon closer inspection; it looked like something someone cut off of a robot and stuck on him just for fun. Claus shivered when the metal touched his skin. It was icy cold.

"Very good," Andonuts approved, stroking his small mustache. "Still no pain?"

Claus shook his head. "Other than the first dull pain, no, none," he replied, more focused on his new arm than anything else.

"How do you use it?" Ike suddenly blurted, observing Claus' cannon from all sides. "Is there a button or something? Or is it all mental?"

"Merely mental. Just like his PSI." The old man turned his gaze back to Claus again. "You can test it out, if you'd like."

Kumatora raised an eyebrow at that. "Seriously? Seems awfully thought out for a quick fix."

Andonuts laughed. "Quick fix? Oh good heavens, no! This is a little pet project of mine I've been working on for some time. When this boy came along, it was such a perfect situation. I couldn't help but test it out on him, and just as my calculations predicted, it's a near flawless system."

Claus' expression was an emotionless deadpan. So he had been subject to a test run? Though Claus was indeed indebted to the old man, he was by no means guinea pig. "No, thanks," he replied to the man's first suggestion of giving his cannon a test run. "Right now there's something else bothering me. I'd like to know..." he trailed off, lowering his mecha-arm and looking directly at Ike. "Who we took hostage, if we interrogated them, and what they said."

Ike stayed silent for a moment. Then, he looked at Kumatora again, who just shook her head, shrugging. Claus blinked. "What...you mean you didn't get anyone?"

"We, specifically us in the aero-limo, no," Ike corrected, recrossing his arms. "But the others got several hostages."

"And?"

Kumatora sighed heavily. "Before we could even attempt to question them, they all committed suicide."

"...huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It was crazy, all eight of them died at the same time."

Claus' eyes were wide for the umpteenth time that day, and he'd only been conscious for all of about twenty minutes. "But _how_?" he asked, tone incredulous.

"After performing a few autopsies," Doctor Andonuts cut in here, as this was his area of expertise, "I managed to discover that they all took a lethal dose of cyanide, in a small capsule hidden in one of their teeth. In order to be spared from any torture and avoid giving away their organization's secrets..." he looked away, face pensive. "It's genius."

"It's damn sneaky, that's what," the pinkette growled, fists balling up. "How are we supposed to gain any intel when hostages are willing to kill themselves?"

Claus looked back down at his metal appendage, which shined in the direct light and appeared to wink at him. "So then, that whole battle, the fact that I lost my arm..." he began, face set in a grim deadpan, "was all for _absolutely nothing_?"

While Kumatora struggled to come up with a counter to the boy's unfortunately semi-valid point, Ike shook his head. "No, not entirely. You led us into a victory, which helps both reassure everyone and intimidate the Shinra'ta a little bit. It went well, for a first encounter," he paused, glancing down at Claus' new arm. "Besides the few injuries."

"But that does bring up a good point," Kumatora suddenly jumped in, holding an index finger up in recollection. "Claus, you're being hailed as a hero by everyone, y'know."

Claus looked up at her, eyebrow slightly raised. "For what?"

"Well, for leading the Pigmask Army's best two squadrons into their first battle with rebel forces and winning, of course," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm hardly ever mentioned, overshadowed by you and whatnot. But I can live without publicity, anyhow," she grinned. "They promoted me to Colonel the day after we came back. You're getting a promotion, too."

Claus let his gaze's focus wander, not even willing to fake a smile at this point. "Really? Being falsely idolized and getting a promotion for just that one battle? Seems like overkill." He didn't mean to be ungrateful for it; he just was so not in the mood for it presently. He'd just woken up from an almost six-day mini-coma to find one of his vital appendages replaced with a cold, mechanical weapon and his name known as some kind of hero, which he definitely wasn't, or at least didn't feel like. It was both not worth the loss and something he didn't deserve.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it," was all Ike had to say about it.

_Well, that's all I really can do, right?_ Claus suddenly turned himself, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed. Hopping off, he was relieved to find that he did indeed have bottoms on, blue hospital patient-type pants. "I see. Well, thank you for everything, Doctor Andonuts. I'm going back to my room."

"I'm afraid I still have to run some diagnostics, to make sure your arm is functioning properly—" the doctor began, but Claus had sauntered out into the hall already, and sooner would cows fly than he plan on coming back. He sighed. "Hrm. That boy is a strange one."

"Well, he was acting strange, that's for sure," Kumatora said. "But it's kind of understandable. He's still shell-shocked."

"I give him a day," Ike proclaimed, pocketing his hands. "One day until he pulls himself back together."

Kumatora looked at him. "What do you mean? He seemed pretty fine to me..."

"On the outside, maybe," the Brigadier General agreed. "But inside he's completely lost. Everyone is, after their first battle, especially with an injury like that. But he's strong. One day tops, that's my bet."

Meanwhile, Claus power-walked his way down the halls, wanting nothing to do with anyone else at the moment. He needed to be alone, now. People stared down at him, usually with raised eyebrows or wide eyes, as he passed, but he couldn't have cared less. Purposely taking the stairs knowing there would be far fewer people to encounter, he descended four floors, from S all the way down to A, and navigated the near-empty halls there until he came to a stop in front of his room, good ol' 116A. He opened the door, stepped inside and closed it back again, making sure to lock it behind him. He paused for a moment to observe said room. It was just how he'd left it; a few clothes on the floor, a couple books lay strew on his nightstand and his bed was half-made.

A stride and a half later he was splayed face-down in the sheets with a muffled FLUMP, legs hanging off the edge of the bed slightly.

He had no idea why, but the whole concept was hitting him really hard. _I have no right arm. It was sliced off in battle, my first battle, and replaced by a freaking cannon._ Like, seriously. He had PSI of all things, the ultimate weapon, so how could something like this have happened? It was like God was out to get him, or karma was really coming back to bite him in the ass.

And the Andonuts guy had said something about putting a chip in his brain. Did that mean he was like some kind of machine now? What if that chip went haywire and fried his brain, or erased his memories and took over his body? Either scenario scared him. He was basically a walking, talking weapon now. He doesn't even get a prosthetic arm, oh no, he gets an _arm-sized gun_ instead. Sure, it was better than nothing at all, but now he would have to deal with the funny looks and incredulous stares and furtive whispers and _awkward questions_ for the rest of his life. He wasn't looking forward to it.

What would—oh dear God, what would _Lucas_ think? Claus didn't want to think about it. He'd no doubt still be his brother and all that jazz, that was a no-brainer. Lucas was too nice to shun him for something like that. But, there'd be that distance, that inevitable, omnipresent distance that would develop, because he's now different and foreign and unnerving to be around, because of his cannon arm thing. And that thought killed Claus inside. He'd be avoided, maybe not discernibly, but avoided nonetheless. By Fuel, too. Nichol. Cathrine. Maybe even Kumatora.

The battle. What ever happened? Apparently the Pigmask Army won; Claus probably wouldn't be alive if they hadn't. But why was he of all people being hailed as the hero? He'd fought the ringleader, yes, he had knocked him out, yes, but he himself had passed out right there alongside the guy. If anyone, Kumatora's name should've been the one everyone knew. She had been right there beside him, leading the way, and had come back injury-free to boot.

The promotion Kumatora had spoken about. What would they raise him to? Whatever it was, he didn't want it; he hadn't proved himself very well, had he? Having to be hospitalized for almost a week isn't very impressive. But if his name was in the news and Fassad was half the leader Claus took him for, there would be higher ranks ahead whether he wanted them or not. The boy wasn't ungrateful, but he couldn't care less about what rank he was. It was trivial.

So many thoughts swirled around in his head. But, for once, Claus got caught up in these thoughts, letting them sweep his conscience away and thinking about them in his head for the longest time, practically debating with himself on a plethora of points one would normally brush off as mundane and given facts. Would life be the same? Was this joining the Army idea really all that good? What did Mom and Dad think about all this? Were the Shinra'ta angry at them? Would he even be alive tomorrow evening? Was he still Claus?

One might've thought him to be dead, just laying in nearly the exact same position the next day, not having moved more than a couple inches further onto he bed. He had barely even slept, having felt the weirdest sensation throughout the night; he had plenty of energy, to be sure, but no will to do anything but lay there and think. And think. And think a bit more.

It was a little after noon before he heard knocking at his door. Well, knocking was a bit of an overstatement.

_PAT PAT PAT._

"Anyone awake in there?" a familiar voice called through the door.

Claus heard her, but he didn't answer.

"Look, I'm coming in whether you answer or not."

Still silence on Claus' part.

"Oookay," they spoke before opening the door, and in stepped formally-dressed Kumatora, in the same outfit as the day before. She balanced a tray of food on one hand while she closed the door behind her. She stepped over to the boy on the bed, raising an eyebrow. "You know I know you're awake, right?"

Claus was still immobile for a long moment before he finally decided to turn himself, at least enough to make eye contact with the pinkette. Moving felt very weird, with the added weight of his new 'arm' to work with. "Really? How."

"Your aura's too active to be that of someone who's asleep," she stated matter-of-factly, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. Setting the tray down beside him, she frowned. "You're lucky you even got any food, you lazy bastard. Delaney's the one who made the tray; she asked me to get it to you. And by the way, Ike says he's gonna murder you if you pull this again tomorrow," she grinned as the redhead sat up to examine the food next to him.

"That was thoughtful." He poked at the sandwich with his index finger. "Tell her I said thanks. And tell Ike I really don't give a damn."

"Will do," she giggled. But after watching him for a moment, her smile faded. He really was...different. Not because of that arm, though. He seemed very introverted, more so than usual, and his expression showed not even a shred of emotion. It was off-putting, how blank the once-lively boy was. "Claus, are you okay?"

Claus looked at her, with cool green eyes. He was silent for a minute, as if he had to really think about that answer. "Yeah," he said after a while, switching his gaze back to the food. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a bit...pensive, I guess. Been thinking about everything. I'm fine."

"If you're sure," she relented, glancing down at the boy's bedside table clock. It read twelve twenty. "Well, I have to get going. There's this stupid meeting I have to go to..." she sighed, obviously none too thrilled by the prospect.

For the first time in a week, Claus smiled, though it was still half-forced. "You sound so important."

"Oh yes, the most important of them all," she winked, secretly glad to have gotten an expression out of him. She made a small noise of realization, though, as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Ah, I almost forgot! Found this in the mail room, the girl there asked if I'd deliver it. For you," she said, handing it to Claus, who took it almost hesitantly. That is, until he spotted just who it was from.

_Lucas Itoi  
Yado Inn, 1374 Snowman St. Room #018  
Tazmily, Nowhere Islands_

Claus literally choked on his own spit. _L-Lucas?_ He'd written back? Conflicted emotions arose within him. Of course he'd been dying to communicate with his younger twin since he had left Tazmily, but what would he have to say? He still was moderately sure that Lucas would harbor uneasy feelings toward him. Claus didn't want to read the letter if that was the case.

Kumatora raised an eyebrow at his reaction, but shrugged. At least he _had_ reacted.

Claus got ahold of himself. "Th-thanks," he muttered, still staring at the letter in his hands.

She shook her head. "Yup, anytime. See ya," she called behind her as she walked out of the room, slamming the door on her way out.

The food lay completely ignored beside him as slightly shaking fingers slipped under the seal and ripped it open, careful not to rip the paper contained inside. Sliding it out, he just held it folded up for a minute. He knew he was being silly, all hesitant like this. Whatever Lucas had to say, he deserved it, he decided, as he smoothed the paper out and looked at it before he could change his mind.

He found himself overcome with guilt when he recognized Lucas' none too stellar handwriting. _His hand..._

He shook his head a few times and slowly began to decipher his twin's writing.

_To My Dearest Claus,_

How'd you like that opening? Nice, eh? Claus had to admit, it was rather elegant, if not ego-stroking. _Anyway, it's so nice to hear from you! I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't worried about you. Good to know you're doing okay. I'm doing well enough. You're right, I don't much care for these crutches, haha. But I'll be back to normal sometime next month, hopefully_. Claus winced. A month, optimistically? Eucch... _Writing with my left hand is so hard! Right now I wish I was ambidextrous, haha. _Claus smirked at the irony. Looks like both their right arms were out of commission...but Claus' would be forever more.

_I'm living at the Yado Inn now, actually. It's a nice room, don't worry._ The Yado? That was interesting. Claus had been expecting an apartment complex, like Eagleland Condos or something. _Apparently Jackie doesn't mind me living here so long as I clean up for myself and pay for it, which you've already got covered. Thanks for that, by the way. You're right, I can't quite work with these stupid crutches. It does get a bit chilly at night, but don't worry, I have spare blankets, haha. Also, I haven't gotten that money yet. I'm sure it'll be enough though, I can live pretty cheaply, as you no doubt know, heh._ Claus frowned. It hadn't still hadn't gotten there yet? Though it had probably arrived within the time of this letter's delivery...

_Training, huh? You've always been good at stuff like hand-eye coordination, so it can't be that rough._ Claus snorted at the inaccuracy of that sentence. _But I guess you gotta learn how to fight somehow, haha. Twelve bruises? Wow! That's a little much. But the better you get, the less you'll have, I guess. You'll have to prove that speed to me when you come back. From our house to town in a minute and thirty seconds? I'd like to see that! A pink-haired girl? Fuel mentioned seeing her on the night you left._ Claus' face instantly fell. Fuel. What did he think about all this? And surely he was keeping his word on looking out for Lucas? Claus would make sure to pummel him into the ground if he wasn't. _Oh, he says hi, by the way! Cathrine too. But she, the pink-haired woman, kicks your butt? Haha, that must be embarrassing, unless she's some kind of martial arts instructor._ Claus shrugged. That was close enough.

_Small rooms are cozy, don't you think? Though if it's all plain then I guess it would be kinda weird. You've never needed much space or decor anyway, haha. You're probably used to it by now anyhow. Don't quit reading Frankenstein! It starts off kinda slow, but it gets good, I promise!_ Claus rolled his eyes. Lucas was always trying to get him to read. They were always these weird science fictiony books that didn't much appeal to him. Nevertheless, he sighed and supposed he would give the book another shot. _Pink uniforms? Haha, I bet you'd make it look good!_ Claus smirked. Hell yes he did. It gets cold there at night? _Awh. I would come and snuggle with you if I could, haha!_ Claus chuckled; he wouldn't have minded that in the slightest. _But I guess spare blankets will have to do._

_Your description of the city sounds interesting. I cant believe it's that big... It's purple-themed? I would have thought pink, since the Pigmasks seem to love that color so much, haha. You should definitely go exploring when you get a chance, and tell me all about it later. It'll be an eye-opener, for sure. Take a map, though, I don't want you to get lost, haha!_

_Tazmily is still good ol' Tazmily. Nothing's changed. It's funny, though...you don't notice just how little changes until someone brings it up!_ Claus nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. _It's a little more hectic, I guess, having to hurry across the street in my crutches, but that's a given, haha. The shop is kinda empty without your silliness, I guess. Oh, and before I forget, I visited Mom and Dad._ Claus' mouth went dry at the mention of his late parents. _Can't believe it's already been __four__ years, can you? I told them what happened, why we were late and you weren't there. I know they understand. _

_Which brings up another thing; I understand that you had to leave, and that you didn't want to. It's okay. I trust you. I can take care of myself. You do what you think you have to. Resent you? You're so silly. You know I could never hate you no matter what you do._ This sentence is the sentence that seemed to lift infinite weight off the redhead's shoulders. Not only did Lucas accept his spur of the moment actions, but he supported them too? Claus couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a kind and reasonable twin brother. _I think I realize now why you're doing what you are. Who am I to stop you? You're as mature as anyone I've ever known; you've got this. Just remember that I'm here if you ever need me, and that'll never change. And come home sometimes, okay? Letters are fine and good, but seeing you would be worth thousands of letters. _Claus had been planning to visit anyway, but this just further solidified his resolve.

_Writing with my left hand is so exhausting! I feel like it's going to fall off soon. Hopefully you can read this, though it's still not as bad as your handwriting, ahah._ Claus stuck his tongue out at the paper. His handwriting was not that bad. Geez. _Good luck with...well, whatever it is you're doing. It's still light outside, so I'm going to go and send this letter now. Here's to hoping it arrives soon!_  
_  
Love You Always,_

Lucas

Claus smiled goofily down at the papers in his hands. His brother. _His_ Lucas. _Man_, it was so nice to hear from him. To hear that he wasn't resented, and still loved. And trusted. Claus would do his damnedest to not let that trust down. The boy suddenly felt like an idiot; here he had been, laying and pitying himself like a pansy when really, all this was his doing. And it wasn't even that bad. He was here, he was alive, he was healthy and he still had people who supported him. Believed in him.

He had it pretty damn good, didn't he?

He sighed at himself. _What an idiot._ After a moment, though, a strange, random thought crossed his mind as he regarded Lucas' letter once more. Slowly he lifted it closer to his face. _I wonder if it smells like him..._ He knew he was being a childish moron, but it couldn't hurt to see, right? He sniffed the paper without shame. And it was there. It was faint, and other smells, mostly that new paper smell, were present, but it was still _there_. That mild, fresh, clean and ever so slightly sweet scent that was Lucas. Claus inhaled it deeply, sorely missing the comfort and familiarity of the smell. And Lucas in general.

Feeling strangely revived, he gently put the papers back in the envelope and placed it on his nightstand before he stood up and stretched for the first time in almost a whole day. Still felt weird, but he was beginning to get used to the extra weight's presence. He walked over to the dresser near the door to the bathroom and pulled it open, expecting to find duplicates of his normal pink uniform inside.

However, this was not what he ended up pulling out. Instead, his hand grabbed hold of sleek black cloth. Upon further inspection, it was revealed to be a jacket of sorts, complete with a full zipper down the front and fancy fur lining around the collar. Underneath still in the dresser lay a pair of orange cargo pants, a thin long-sleeve black undershirts on top of them. He also noticed a pair of dark gray boots beside the dresser. The boy blinked, not quite understanding the sudden and drastic change in clothing. Could it have something to do with a promotion? But that hadn't even happened yet.

Even so, dress himself he did, shedding his temporary blue pants in exchange for the orange ones. The process was a bit difficult, having only one hand to work with, but he managed somehow. He pulled both the undershirts and jacket on, zipping it up snugly. It fit near perfectly. The pants were a little baggy, though, but Claus decided that he liked this look much better than the pink uniforms he'd been forced to wear prior. He also noticed with a chuckle that the right arm of the jacket had been modified to accommodate his new cannon arm; he tucked the little flaps around it accordingly, sealing it well. Examining himself in the mirror, he quite liked the look. Nice and intimidating. Though it seemed a bit warm for the weather.

Pulling on some socks, he shoved his feet into the boots near him, completing the outfit nicely. The boy just stood there for a moment contemplatively before heading towards the door, planning to go out, if only for a bit. He couldn't stay holed up in his room all the time, could he? He couldn't avoid the inevitable forever. Plus, he needed to find paper to write Lucas back with. He didn't have any of his own left. Closing the door behind him, he walked about three paces down the hall before he was tapped on the shoulder, lightly but firmly.

Claus turned his head to see Lieutenant Colonel Delaney Smith smiling at him, clipboard in hand as usual. She looked him up and down. "My, my! Doesn't this new uniform suit you well?" she complimented with a giggle.

Claus smiled in thanks. "Well, it is a bit more intimidating than the whole pink thing."

She nodded in agreement. "True," she relented. "I trust you're feeling better?"

"Oh, yeah. Completely back to normal."

"Good." She smiled before walking past him, beckoning the boy to come with her. "I was just coming to fetch you. Your ceremony is scheduled to start in thirty minutes."

This took Claus aback. "Wait, what?" he asked, though he followed her all the same. "What ceremony?"

"The one where we commend you on your bravery and finesse in combat and promote you," she answered simply.

Claus winced. A whole ceremony? Was that _really_ necessary? "Oh, how fun. Can't wait to sit through that one," he said, though he didn't mean to sound ungrateful. He had never been one for fancy gatherings of any kind, for him or not.

Delaney appeared to be sympathetic. "Indeed. I'm sure you'll live through it," she assured as they turned the next corner.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Can't be any more dangerous than the Shinra'ta, right?"

They both laughed as they trudged down the empty hallway.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Heehee. Claus finally gets his sexy commander uniform. That's my favorite part of the entire chapter, actually. -shot- Oh, and in case you happen to wonder what I listen to for some reason, I've been listening to this song non-stop for the past couple days while writing this. It's called Uso, by a band named SID (capital sid). And yeah, it is Japanese. Look it up, it's good. The more I listen to it, the more I feel it could be the theme song for this story. That would make more sense as time goes on, of course. :B**_

So, did anyone notice anything special? No? Oh, fine. Today (_**10.03.11) is this fic's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. LIKE OMG. **__**-totally didn't wait four days to post the chapter for that very reason-**__** Eleven chapters in a whole year. That's sad. I'm such a failure. Either way, it's a cause for celebration. Or something. So, guess what **__**I'ma do?**_

...nothing. Lol. I can't think of anything;;; But whatever. I'm logging various statistics here for future reference, and for everyone to see what this fic has achieved over the course of a year.

_**Reviews: 24**_

_**Words: 59k+**_

_**Hits: 2,779**_

_**Favorites: 11******_

Daaaang, son. **Not bad****. A year from now I'll do this again (knowing my lazy ass this fic'll still be going on even then;;;) and we'll all ****ooh**_** and **_**aah**_** at the differences. Or not. I don't even know.**_

Now that I'm done stroking my own ego, got anything to say? Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. They're awesome!

Here's to another year of Protector~ C:  



	12. XII That Can't Be Hormones

_**DISCLAIMER: EarthBound/Mother and it's characters, plot, scenarios, recurring elements, etc. do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Shigesato Itoi and Nintendo.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

He swatted the mosquitoes away from his face with his left hand, pushing himself off the ground with his crutches.

He wasn't sure why he still kept coming back. They'd finally opened the area affected by the freak fire back up about a week ago, the local authorities. He'd come back as soon as the tape was removed, so to speak, with Fuel by his side. The charred remains of his family's home were disheartening to say the least. There really wasn't anything left of what they'd had. Cookware warped by the heat of the blaze, a simple chain necklace with an attached locket that had belonged to his mother; how it had survived, he didn't know. Everything else was gone, destroyed, never to return again. Lucas had been back three times now, hoping desperately each time he'd find something more, things, little trinkets he had taken for granted before. But it was apparent he was wasting his time excavating the ruins of his former home.

He still couldn't believe it was gone, though. It had been such a sturdy, cozy house. A house that had more than done its duty as a house. So many memories burned to he ground, now ashes floating on the sympathetic breeze as he gazed at it all, eyes half-lidded in somber retrospection. Emotional as it was, the blonde had no intention of shedding any tears. He had learned long ago that crying would do nothing to help anything; they were a waste of his time, too. He had to be stronger than that. If for no one else, then himself.

His late mother's locket lay on his chest, shining despite the lack of light at this late hour, reflecting the time Lucas had spent polishing the thing to renew it, as it was now the only thing he had of his parents left. The accessory, if opened, would boast a picture of his father, before his hair had fallen out, back when he was young and free of that constant scowl etched into his face from the pessimism of the world. However, the locket would no longer open; it had been melded shut by the fire. He fingered this locket absently, blinking a few times before the time of day began to sink in. Looking to the sky, he sighed heavily. For a life as short as his, his past certainly hadn't been easy.

But that was enough reminiscing for one day. Perhaps a week or a month, maybe. Either way, the handicapped boy began to make his way forward, up the path that would inevitably take him back to town, back to his current place of residence. He had spent he better part of the day outside, wandering about by himself, determined to get some fresh air. His crutches were really getting old; thankfully they'd no longer be needed in about a week's time. He only wished the same could be said for his arm, which was still slated for another two weeks in the cast.

Stars began to twinkle in the sky as he walked, passing that all-too-noticeable boundary that separated outskirts from city and squinting a bit to partially shield his eyes from the light. He had more or less memorized the path back during his time there, and as such his movements were practiced and sure. He passed people, people he might've known or not, and if so he wouldn't have been able to recall the information later. It was almost like he was in some kind of trance, thinking about nothing in particular.

It was chilly when he entered the Yado Inn, the air conditioning cooling him as he meandered his way in through the bright main hallway, lit by an overhead chandelier and wall sconces to each side. The white color scheme was rather plain, but something about it was kind of...appealing. Foreign. Attractive, in a way.

"Welcome back, Lucas," the proprietor of the place, Jackie, greeted him genially. His buzzed purple hair never ceased to attract his attention. The man currently shuffled the papers on his desk around a bit. Lucas rather liked Jackie; despite the computers behind the desk that all his employees utilized, he chose to stick to the old methods of doing things, with some good ol' paper and pen.

Lucas smiled at him. "Good evening, Jackie."

"There's still some dinner being served in the dining hall if you're up for it."

"Oh, no thank you," Lucas declined as politely as possible, inwardly touched by Jackie's obvious hospitality; the dinner courses were supposed to have ended almost thirty minutes prior according to the clock on the wall across from him...it read nine thirty. "I'm really not hungry tonight."

Jackie shrugged. "If you're sure. Good night, Lucas."

"Good night, Jackie."

The plush carpet rustled beneath his crutches and feet alike as he walked down the hallway, not even bothering to read the numbered plates anymore to identify his room. It was easy to remember: the third from the dead end on the right, the one next to the one with the outdated door handle. Suite number zero eighteen. There was no real reason to lock his door, because there was nothing of interest in his room. What were people going to do, steal his clothes? He opened his door with his good hand, shuffling in as the door shut itself behind him.

Oh how he wished he could walk without those stupid crutches! He threw them to the floor, carefully limping to the dresser adjacent to the bed. He only dared to do so in his room, where he was ninety-nine percent sure he wouldn't screw himself over somehow and inflict further injury upon himself. Pulling random, plain clothes out of the top drawer, he quickly changed into the makeshift pajamas, eyelids beginning to droop. He didn't quite understand why he was tired; he hadn't done much that day, aside from thinking and walking.

But he would not deny himself of any much needed rest. Rubbing his eyes, he padded into the small bathroom, turning the faucet on and brushing his teeth roughly. Replacing the brush, he gathered a puddle of water in his hands and splashed it upon his face, face scrunching at its rather chilly temperature. He toweled his face dry before hanging the thing back up and exiting the room once more.

The covers were already flung back partially, fancily laid about a quarter of the way flipped, one of the maids' trademark things to do. Lucas had insisted that no one come and clean for him, for he could do that much himself, but apparently Jackie either didn't believe him or simply didn't care, because every other night he'd find the room reset to its default state. If that was what he wanted, then fine. Lucas wouldn't complain over something so silly, especially a benefit such as this. The blonde wiggled his way under the covers, just glad he had a bed to sleep in at night.

Reaching up to turn of the lamp sticking out of the wall above him, he put his head on the pillow beneath him, always rather enjoying how soft it was in comparison to the ones they'd had back in his house. Listening to the sound of his own breathing, he was asleep within minutes, dreaming of a world in which cookies flew around like birds and sharks shot laser beams out of their heads.

_-asdfjkl;-_

"Ugh, it hurts so _bad_!"

Lucas writhed beneath his covers sweatily, hand cradling his head and eyes squeezed shut as he struggled to keep his voice at a normal level. Two brunettes stood beside his bed, one short and male and the other tall and female. Fuel looked at his friend worriedly, biting his lip as he watched Lucas roll around, trying to get his mind off the pain he was in. "What's wrong with him, Tessie? I can't stand to see him like this."

The woman clasped her hands together in front of her white apron, looking just as worried as Fuel. Her yellow dress and long brown hair drifted along behind her as she went to retrieve the bag of ice she'd brought with her at Fuel's request. "I don't know," she answered honestly, approaching Lucas once more. "Here honey, please hold this to your forehead," she told him gently, lifting his hand for him to place the bag wrapped in cloth appropriately. Lucas whimpered when it touched his skin but obliged, cloudy blue eyes opening a fraction as he nodded obediently.

Tessie gave him a reassuring smile. "Thank you. Now, is there anything else wrong? Nausea? Burning throat? Soreness?"

Lucas shook his head. "N-no. It's just my head. My brain..." he paused, wincing as his skull throbbed painfully. "It feels like it's going to explode."

She brought a hand to her chin, frowning. "Is that so? I see." She looked down at nothing, deep in thought.

Fuel came up to Lucas, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, man," he assured, giving him a thumbs up and as best a smile as he could muster. "We'll figure out what's wrong with you."

Lucas made a dry half-cough kind of sound; Fuel noticed with a fall of his face that it was supposed to have been a laugh. "I dunno, man," he closed his eyes again, brows furrowing. "I feel like I might be dying."

Fuel narrowed his eyes slightly, though his expression was still soft. "Don't say that. You're gonna be okay."

Tessie tapped the shorter brunette on the shoulder. "I'm confident that he will be. As for me, I'm going to need to run to the hospital to retrieve some things. Will you stay here and look after him for me?" she asked him, her voice light and sweet. It reminded Lucas of his dead mother. They had been good friends.

Fuel looked back at her. "Was that even a question? Of course I will, Tessie." He patted Lucas shoulder, too, like it further proved his loyalty to the blonde.

She smiled at him. "Good. Thank you. And if he gets any worse, please call me," she reminded as she headed toward the door of Lucas' suite, determined to go as fast as she could.

"Will do," Fuel called after her, turning his attention back to Lucas. "That means you gotta tell me if it gets worse, y'know."

Lucas smiled faintly. "I think you'll know when it gets worse," he said simply, rendering himself still for the time being. The iciness of the bag on his face managed to slightly numb his nerves, diluting the pain a bit. It still hurt like a bitch, but it helped, if only a bit.

Fuel smiled back. "If you say so."

He slipped his shoes off, walking to the other side of the bed and carefully seating himself on the mattress next to his friend, having gotten tired of standing up. If Lucas had been disturbed, he did not show it, eyes closed and looking for all the world like he was asleep. ...asleep with a frown, anyway. Assuming he was trying to get some rest or something, Fuel kept quiet, opting instead to gaze out the window on his left, watching cars zip back and forth idly. The boy couldn't help but think about Claus. He wondered if the absent redhead could tell Lucas was sick somehow, with a kind of twin telepathy or something. The thought amused him.

"Fuel," Lucas spoke up from his place beside him, startling the addressed boy out of his thoughts. "I had a dream last night, about cookies and sharks. The cookie were flying around in the air, and sharks were jumping out of the water and shooting them with the laser beams from their heads."

Fuel paused incredulously for a moment before he laughed. "_What_? That sounds crazy, but watch, in five years, that'll be one of the pigmasks' new inventions or something."

Lucas chuckled. "Yeah, I know. What do you think it means?"

"It means you're finally going crazy, Luke."

"About time then, isn't it?"

They both chuckled. Fuel brought a hand to the top of his head, scratching it a bit as he thought back. "Hmm, let's see...last night I think I had a dream about Angie chasing me around the fountain in the square with a big piece of wood in her hands, yelling at me about something. Then old man Wess came and started throwing books at me, also yelling." He blinked, remembering just how strange that dream had been. "Whaddya think that means?"

Lucas answered almost immediately. "You and Angie are gonna get married, and you're gonna have a kid named Wess."

Fuel looked taken aback, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "Married? Kid named Wess? Damn, Lucas, are you a dream reader now or something?"

Lucas laughed, making the sound very light to avoid making his head throb any more than it already did. "Dreams aren't supposed to make sense right off the bat," he pointed out, moving the ice pack to the side for a moment to look at Fuel with one of his eyes. "You have to interpret them on your own, read between the lines."

Fuel smirked. "Who knew you got so philosophical when you're sick? Keep this up and you'll he writing haikus about the natural beauties of the heart and mind or something."

Lucas made the mistake of snorting, wincing at the intense throb of pain that followed. "I'm sure."

They didn't talk much more after that. Although it did keep Lucas' mind off his aching head, it was too much of a chore to keep opening and closing his mouth, especially when Fuel made him laugh with every other reply. As such, he merely chanted a mantra over and over in his head as Fuel sat idly beside him on the bed. _This'll all be over soon, this'll all be over soon, I'll either die or Tessie will cure me, but this'll all be over soon_. It wasn't really an exaggeration, either. He really felt like his brain was going to burst through his skull or something, his head felt so bad. Fuel kept looking back at him when he would hiss almost inaudibly sometimes, unable to hold his tongue.

After about a total of twenty or so minutes gone, Tessie was back, carrying a huge bag of medical supplies with her as she walked back into the room. She immediately set said bag down on the bedside table and examined her patient with a sympathetic expression. "Hello again, dears. Lucas, how are you feeling?"

Lucas opened an eye in greeting. "Same as I was before."

She clicked her tongue. "Not even a little bit better? Hmm," she frowned, going to pick up the hag of ice from the blonde's forehead. She was surprised when it had the consistency of pure water, sloshing around in her hold when she grabbed it and nearly slipping out of her unaware grasp. "All of it's melted already...?" she muttered in disbelief.

Lucas frowned slightly at the lack of something cool on his forehead and Fuel whistled. "Damn, Lucas, your forehead's like a furnace," he said, crossing his arms, almost impressed by the fact.

"Trust me, I know," he responded, indeed fully aware of that detail.

Tessie pulled an oral thermometer from her satchel. Putting a sanitary disposable cover on top of it to protect from unwanted bacteria and whatnot, she held it close to Lucas' face. "If I can just take your temperature, to get a number to work with," she asked politely. Lucas opened his mouth and held his tongue up, leaving just enough room for Tessie to lay it between it and the bottom of his jaw before it came back down. He closed his mouth on it as she grabbed a couple of papers out of a folder she'd obtained from the big white bag, clicking open a pen. After about ten seconds, she removed it from his mouth, checking it's reading with practiced eyes. Said eyes widened. "One-oh-five point seven," she gasped, nearly dropping the pen she held.

Fuel's jaw dropped. "Oh my _God_."

Lucas gritted his teeth. "I probably could have told you that."

Tessie scribbled the number down hastily before her hands dived back into that big bag, pulling out a small needle and syringe. "I'm going to take a little blood now, okay? I know you just had it taken a few weeks ago, but this will hopefully help shed some light on what's going on with you."

Lucas didn't move. "Yeah, okay."

So Tessie had Fuel hold Lucas' right arm down, as he was less likely to be moving that one around extensively. She cleaned it with a little sanitary wipe before she carefully identified one of his veins and poked through the skin easily. Lucas made a little sound of discomfort, but within seconds the ordeal was over, Tessie pulling the needle back out of his skin and pressing a cotton ball to the now-bleeding spot, Fuel keeping pressure on it as Tessie went to store the liquid somewhere safe.

Once that was done, she turned to face him again. "Alright. Now where on your head does it hurt?"

"Everywhere," he breathed, raising a shaky left hand up to point at his forehead. "But mostly up here, I guess, where it's burning."

The nurse scribbled his down for future reference. "Mmm." She set the pen down and placed a tentative index finger on the boy's forehead. Lucas flinched at the unexpected contact but did not move, allowing Tessie to feel around his scalp, almost like she was looking for something in particular. A minute later she ceased this, apparently having found nothing. She pursed her lips as she scribbled more words down.

Fuel looked at her expectantly. "So do you know what's wrong?"

She shook her head with a sigh. "No, not at all. I was thinking maybe some serious dehydration would cause head pain, but there's no way it would trigger that high of a fever," she shared her thoughts, pulling another medical instrument out of her bag. "Let's take your blood pressure for good measure, okay?"

She strapped the mobile blood pressure cuff to Lucas' left arm, pumping air into it manually for a few moments seconds before reading it accordingly. She clicked her tongue. "One twenty over eighty," she read it aloud.

Fuel gasped. "Holy crap, Lucas! You really _are_ dying!"

Tessie turned to give Fuel a disapproving, slightly amused look. "Fuel, that's perfect."

Fuel blinked. "...oh," he said rather sheepishly.

As she put her things away and wrote down a few final thoughts on her papers, Lucas chuckled. "If it really is a new sickness, you should call it Lucasitis or something," he offered, salvaging the situation with his simple humor.

Tessie giggled. "I'll be sure to do that, Lucas." Once everything was back in the big white bag, she pulled out a small bottle that made lots of noise when moved around, like there were lots of even smaller things inside. She popped open the top and peered inside. "These pills should help you by getting your fever down to at least a normal temperature and dulling the pain for a time. You're going to need to swallow them."

Fuel was up and away toward the suite's bathroom before Tessie could even ask him to go. "I got you," he called as running water could be heard.

Lucas groaned slightly. "I've never been good at swallowing pills," he admitted, inhaling sharply when his head gave a particularly painful throb, as if reprimanding him for being so ungrateful. "But I'll do anything to make this killer headache go away."

When Fuel came back with a small glass filled to the brim with water, Tessie smiled at him. "It won't be that bad, they're pretty small," she encouraged, shaking two out o the container and into her hand. "They'll also make you really tired, but that's okay. Rest is crucial in recovery. You'll probably be out cold until tomorrow morning," she continued, prodding at Lucas' mouth until it opened. "Here's the first, and then I'll give you the second."

It took him a minute, but Lucas did eventually swallow the pills that would allegedly help him, with Tessie's assistance. The water had felt good running down his throat, and it was then that he realized just how water-deprived he was, so Fuel had to make three trips back to the bathroom sink to quench the blonde's mighty thirst. Fuel called him a camel while Tessie pulled out a stethoscope, insisting that she listen to his heart beat a couple times per medical protocol. The metal felt icy cold on his skin; he almost wished one could hear the heart beat through the forehead just so she'd have an excuse to place it up there too.

Fifteen minutes later, he realized that Tessie's description of drowsy was an understatement. He could barely keep his eyes open and his hearing focused on what they were saying, but his fever had gone down a little and his headache was indirect, numbed down quite a bit. Soon he decided to give up on trying, and just like that he was out like a light, completely senseless.

Fuel chuckled. "Tessie, you knocked him out."

She smiled at his sleeping form too; he was almost smiling in his sleep, furrowed frown gone from his features as he breathed evenly, free from the pain of his mystery sickness. "It's for his own good, you know," she stood up from where she sat beside him, on a chair she'd dragged over from the little desk by the door. "He'll definitely he asleep 'till morning. Fuel, come. Let him sleep."

The shorter brunette, being ever the gentleman, offered to carry her bag out, an offer which Tessie accepted gratefully. As they exited the room, she closed the door behind her softly, being careful even though the boy inside could now sleep through a minor earthquake if need be. They walked down the hall at a leisurely pace, neither in a particular hurry, though Tessie intended to dawdle as little as possible on her way back to the hospital to conduct a few tests.

Fuel looked down at the ornate carpet below their feet, eyes solemn. "Can't believe Lucas has an unknown sickness."

Tessie looked down at him. "It's not so much that it's a unknown cause," she explained, walking along the hall almost pensively. "It's just that the exterior symptoms don't really pin anything down. It could be a good number of things, like the beginning stages of strep throat or maybe meningitis, but the fever shouldn't be that high already with no other complaints. I thought perhaps he had the beginnings of a tumor in his brain, which would explain the pain, but I couldn't feel anything where he said it felt the worst." She sighed. "It's frustrating, seeing someone in pain like that and being unable to do anything about it right away."

Fuel nodded his head in agreement. "Tell me about it. Not just physical pain either. A few years ago I didn't think they would make it, Tessie, I honestly didn't. No one would help them, not even my dad."

Tessie remembered that time as well, knowing exactly who Fuel was referring to. "Yes...it was so sad. They were left all alone so suddenly. I offered to help them, once, to have them stay with me, but Claus refused immediately. He said he could take care of both of them all by himself." She smiled fondly at the memory of the redhead. "He's done a good job so far, hasn't he?"

Fuel's gaze returned to his front. "I guess he has."

They were back in the lobby of the Yado Inn now, where it smelled like the beginnings of a delicious dinner. Jackie, behind the main desk as always, looked up at them with a concerned expression. "Tessie, Fuel," he greeted once more, eyes glancing down at the big white satchel Fuel held. "Is he alright?" the purple-(barely)haired man asked, obviously referring to Lucas.

Tessie shrugged her shoulders, hands clasped together in front of her. "He's doing okay at the moment; I gave him some medicine that should let him rest until sometime tomorrow morning...but I'm still not sure what's ailing him." She sighed again. "Going to go back to the hospital to run a few tests, see if his blood can shed any light on this predicament."

"Is that so?" Jackie nodded, lowering his gaze a bit. "Hmm. In that case, don't let me distract you with idle chatter." He paused. "Poor kid," he lamented, shaking his head. "Doesn't ever get a break, does he?"

"Few and far between," Tessie agreed with a small smile, beginning her walk toward the inviting double doors and beckoning Fuel along with her. "Good night, Jackie."

"Good night, Mr. Jackie!" Fuel echoed her words energetically as he followed the woman out.

Jackie chuckled and raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Good night, Fuel."

Outside, the cool breeze tickled the male brunette's nose as they walked through the parking lot over to Tessie's small car, the one she used to commute to and from work. The fact that she had one was rather surprising; she had been one of those most against Tazmily's reform, but since she had been employed at the hospital as a nurse practitioner, she had had this car, a small blue car. It made it infinitely easier for her to commute to work from her home to the far northwest of Tazmily all the way down here to the utmost south of it. Tessie opened the trunk of said car and had Fuel place the bag carefully inside, thanking him as she slammed it back down and walked over to the driver side's door.

"Can I come with you?" Fuel asked decisively, looking up at her with a determined face. "I want to be the first to know when you figure out what's wrong!"

Tessie buckled herself into the seat, giggling as she closed the door she'd just opened. "Oh, Fuel," she looked at him with an amused expression. "I can't let an outsider into the employee rooms like that, not to mention a minor! We won't know for a few hours after the tests begin anyway." She smiled at him. "But you get up really early in the morning, right?"

Fuel grumbled. "Yes," he answered. Four thirty, to be precise. His father was one of the earliest birds you'd ever meet, and even though Fuel wasn't, he still woke his son up at the same time.

She giggled again. "Well then, how about you come over here and check on him for me right after you get up? Or after your chores and everything? He probably wont be awake, but you can check his temperature for me."

Fuel thought about this for a moment. "Yeah, okay, definitely."

Tessie nodded her head. "Good. Thank you for all your help, Fuel! You'd make a good nurse aide," she winked at him before igniting the car's engine, causing it to roar to life. "Good night!"

Fuel watched her car drive away in thought. A nurse aide? Wasn't a nurse a doctor's aide? An aide to an aide...too superfluous. Fuel almost laughed. Him? A _nurse_? That was funny. If his father had any say in it, he would definitely become a carpenter. But Fuel had once entertained the idea of caring for people, helping them recover and get better...

He shook his head as he began walking home that night. _Nope, never happening._

_-asdfjkl;-_

He woke up positively bathed in sweat, head pounding like a bongo drum and burning like hell. Cursing out loud, he managed to open his eyes to discover that it was very dark. It was nighttime, then. Funny. Didn't Tessie say something about him sleeping through the night?

Lucas winced as he turned his head ever so slightly to check the time, displayed by the digital clock resting on the bedside table to his right. Two oh nine. So _early_! He would he left alone, wallowing in his own pain for at least four more hours yet. _Wonderful_. He was kind of surprised Fuel hadn't stayed or something.

But holy _mother_, it hurt so bad. Lucas brought his arms up over his face instinctively, groaning at the searing pain that only seemed to grow worse with every passing second. It was even worse than what he'd felt when the house had crashed down around him and broken half his appendages, almost, all concentrated into his head. He couldn't so much as move without his brain screeching in fervent opposition.

As he lay there, he tried desperately to get his mind off the pain somehow. _Think about something. Anything. Flying cookies. Sharks with laser beams shooting out of their heads. Hot dogs. Omelets. Automobiles. Pills. Dreams. Beds. People. Death. Power. Pigmasks. Rebels. Kings. Trains. Clouds. Pickles. Baseball bats. Frogs. War. Future. Destruction. Music. Stripes. Strength. Tears. Loss. Unease. Voices. Claus. Needles. Ice. Fire. Love. Lifeup._

Wait, what?

And abruptly, the pain in his head peaked. And not only that, but it spread, from his forehead down his spine and throughout his entire body, searing every last poor nerve ending it touched. Lucas had never experienced anything quite like it. It felt like electricity, blazing electricity, crashing through his body like a great tsunami of sorts, ebbing into his very soul and tearing him apart from the inside. It was excruciating.

Lucas couldn't help but scream, his back arching as he reached a limit he didn't know he had, mind racing as his body spazzed. _Oh my God I really am dying aren't I oh geez I never thought it would be so painful I mean what's happening to me it can't be natural to feel this much pain I just my God please forgive me Claus I tried I really did I just can't do this anymore it's killing me the pain is and ah God here it comes—_

But, surprisingly enough, he did not die.

And instead, the strangest thing happened.

Lucas' eyes, which up until this point had been squeezed shut and awaiting his inevitable demise, now flew open, and he could see the light emanating from his hand, his left hand. Bits and pieces of tiny, sparkling little polygons or varying pastel colors danced around his fingers and palm, making the room glow blue. It swirled around his twitching appendage and some of the ever-moving blue streaks of light would dissipate, dripping off his hand almost like water. Lucas stared at the phenomenon, transfixed by the sheer abnormality of it all, disregarding how elegant and futuristic it seemed.

However, the boy made the mistake of shaking his hand away from him, to see if the weird blue stuff would come off. And come off it did. ...well, 'come off' was a bit of an understatement as the blue stuff flew from his hand at an incredible speed, colliding with and shattering noisily the lamp on his bedside table with ease. Lucas flinched violently at the unexpected outcome, jumping away from the shards of ceramic material as it burst out in all directions, shielding himself with outstretched arms involuntarily. After a good ten seconds he looked back at the destruction he'd caused with wide eyes. What in the _world_ had just happened, exactly? That blue stuff was _lethal_?

The blonde looked back at his hand, which was no longer glowing. But, there was something else. _Power_. Something very powerful, flowing through his veins. He felt it pulsing within him, becoming one with his very being. And another thing. All traces of headache and fever from before were gone. He was feeling as good as new. That was so _weird_.

Briefly he wondered whether he could make the blue stuff come back. No sooner had he thought this thought than did it come back; his hand was again engulfed in the glowy, sparkling blue..._stuff_. He blinked. _Okay, guess so_. Now, did the opposite hold true? When Lucas willed the blue stuff to go away, it was obedient, disappearing from sight like it was never even there. Wow. That was..._cool_.

But...why? How? He all of a sudden just had this freak power now? And his death headache was gone, too? Were the two related somehow? What did this mean? He certainly didn't know of anyone else who could summon blue glowy stuff and use it to break lamps. Was this just a dream? Was he just going crazy, like Fuel had told him? What was he supposed to tell everyone tomorrow? This was so _crazy_; surely they'd freak out and call him names and shun him forever, right? That's what humans as a species usually do when they encounter something strange, so outlandish such as the glowy blue stuff. What was he supposed to even do with it? There were just so many questions.

Lucas was scared.

_What's happening to me?_

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: WELL. Damn that was a rather pointless chapter. Lucas got sick. Great, we get it, Luke, WRITE SOMETHING INTERESTING.**_

*hands you Lucas' discovered PSI*

Although he calls it "the glowy blue stuff." Lol. But poor Tessie! She's gonna be doing all those tests for nothing now. That sucks. But yeah! Any guesses on what he's gonna know? I gave you some hints~.  
_**  
Anyways. That's about it. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Because you know you wanna!**_

I PK Love yous guyses. C:


	13. XIII A Night Out in the City

_**A/N: TO MOTHER-LANCELOT...First off, thanks for the review! Means a bunch~ C: And secondly, yeah, it was a minor reference to Mother 1. Glad someone caught it! xD**_

TO AMARYUU-NO-REICHI (dunno why I didn't just reply via PM, apologies)...You hit the nail on the head! Exactly right, dear friend-o. But you didn't hear it from me. ;) And thank you for the review, too!

And to everyone else who has reviewed, I love you. Take this virtual cookie as thanks. *throws*

Sorry about that. Now, back to your regularly scheduled Protector chapter. As a minor note, remember that floors in the PAMH go like this: A is bottom-most, four floors underground, then B, then C, then D, then G (ground floor), and finally 1. So it makes a teeny bit more sense.

DISCLAIMER: Running out of witty things to say in these...I don't own Mother/EarthBound!

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Loud taps resounded against the walls of the hallway as a certain redhead marched down it, feet harshly slapping the floor and destination clear in his mind. He had become intimately familiar with the ground floor in the week he'd been a Commander. Congratulatory summons, required meetings informing him of anything and everything he needed to know as a highly-ranked officer of the Pigmask Army, tedious paperwork and other trivial stuff...he had had enough to last him the rest of his life, but of course he knew that there was still much more to come. The thought made him internally sigh.

He passed a few regularly-clothed employees, paying them little mind as he power-walked by. He didn't usually make a habit of doing so anymore; he couldn't take them, the funny looks he always got. It reminded him of his cannon arm, of the Battle of Getts, of his failure. On top of that, and he knew how silly it was, he always felt self-conscious of how much he stuck out from everyone else, being (usually) much shorter, minus half an arm and plus an eccentric new uniform. Say what you will about differences making humans humans, Claus didn't like it.

He came upon the correct hallway and swerved, walking just as rapidly as before. The boy was pretty sure the room he was looking for was somewhere down this corridor...probably at the end. Nevertheless, he glanced into every room he passed, just in case he was wrong. Copy room, some lesser important guy's office, big meeting room (he had been here at least five times during the course of the week), another lesser important guy's office, the bathrooms...the list went on. Just how many damn rooms did this place really need?

But he ended up being right, as at the end of the hall sat the door he'd been looking for, its shiny golden plaque reading 'Pigmask Army General'. Dark gray boots came to a halt just outside the wooden door, their wearer taking a deep breath to psych himself up. The redhead hadn't come all the way here because he'd been called down; oh, no, he had a question to ask. A question he wouldn't take 'no' as an answer to. Grasping the handle firmly, he turned it and pulled, swinging the door slowly open before poking his torso inside.

It was a very spacious room. Compared to the dark purples and grays of the rest of the first floor, the color scheme definitely set itself apart from other areas, a basic tan color rolled onto the walls and off-white-stained wood making up the floor. A fancy light hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room, splashing the area with fluorescent light in spite of the window to the rear of the room. Little accent tables lined the walls, all of them a uniform chocolate brown color and supporting various knickknacks and decorative items, like shells and medals, and a few leafy green plants were stationed at the four corners of the room. A big, slightly brighter brown wooden table sat in the far middle of the floor, covered in a plethora of different papers and office supplies. In a big black leather chair behind it sat who else but Fassad, who held a pen in his right hand and a paper in his left. He looked up at the intruder, expression giving away nothing but curiosity at the redhead's sudden presence. "Claus?" he asked, holding his cloth hat as his straightened up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Claus stepped into room fully now, eyes swiveling around to take it all in as he closed the door behind himself. Truth be told, he'd never been to see Fassad before now; he had asked Delaney where the room was not fifteen minutes prior. It was a far cry from what he had been imagining, for sure. "Fassad," he replied, dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement as he approached the desk at a leisurely pace. "I was actually going to ask you something, if you're not busy," he said, motioning to the paper Fassad held in his hand.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "As long as it's just a quick question, this can wait for a few minutes," he assured, putting both paper and pen down in favor of interlacing his fingers so as to lay his hands on the desk, giving his full attention to the boy in front of him. "Though by the fact you purposely searched me out, it must be a rather important question."

Claus smiled slightly, not too impressed with the general's astute deduction. "You could say that."

It was silent for a moment before Fassad nodded at him, imploring the delivery of his inquiry. "Well then, let us hear this question of yours."

Claus stood up tall, regarding Fassad with an air of humility. "I want to go back to Tazmily."

Fassad's expression fell.

Claus quickly explained. "Not like I'm..._quitting_ or anything, though," he amended, realizing the error of his words. "I just want to go back for a few days, y'know, to see how everyone is, to check up on my brother." He had spoken in that voice one speaks in whilst trying to suck up to someone of authority. Surely that wouldn't be too much of a problem?

The strangely-dressed man managed to shoot him down completely with an immediate shake of his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Claus blinked. He must've heard wrong. "Excuse me?"

Fassad looked at him with solemn eyes. "I said, I'm afraid I cannot do that."

The boy's eyes narrowed of their own accord. "Why not?"

Fassad sighed. "You've been here for three weeks. Did you seriously think you could just waltz on in here and apply for vacation leave after such a short amount of time?"

Claus' expression became even more disgruntled, but he was silent. That _did_ make sense, even he had to admit. Someone as new as he was definitely shouldn't have such a privilege. However, he had something else working in his favor. "But I just did you guys a really great service, remember? The reason I'm a commander or whatever now?"

The man frowned at him in response. _"'A commander or whatever'?_ It sounds like you take all this very seriously," he observed, sarcasm thick on his tongue. The wheels squealed noisily as he pushed his chair back so that he could stand up and look slightly down at the redhead. "Though I suppose I should have expected as much from a mere child." He began to stroke the left part of his mustache, other hand tucked behind his back as he paused for effect. "We, as an army, don't have time for games. If anything like a rebellion or skirmish happens within our region of control, which is basically the entirety of the Nowhere Islands, it is our duty to make sure it doesn't get out of hand and put an end to it. You, whether you like it or not, are a vital part of that process, with the potential of being the strongest man in the land. What would happen if our people were thrust into danger by, I don't know, the Shinra'ta while you were away? This is very much a concern of ours right now. No one gets any leave until the immediate threat is resolved." He paused. "Plus, you're forgetting the Shinra'ta know where you are at all times. Don't you think going back to Tazmily even for a few days will put it in danger? I know you don't want that."

Claus was shocked into silence by his words. He had kind of forgotten that tiny detail. If he so much as stepped foot out of New Pork City alone, would he be swarmed by Shinra'ta? If they killed him off, it'd certainly make things easier for them... "Hold on a minute," the shorter of the two held up a finger. "You make it sound like you know for a fact something bad's gonna happen, and soon. How?"

The man snorted. "I'd use the term intuition."

"Do you use that a lot when you're leading your troops? _Intuition_?"

Fassad ignored the question, shaking his head with an exasperated look on his chubby face. "Look, Claus, you can argue with me all you'd like, but it isn't going to get you anywhere, I can assure you. I have work to do, you have training to do. Like I said, I'm sorry, but right now, it's impossible."

Claus' fist audibly clenched. As much as he wanted to take the man up on his offer, he knew it wouldn't get him anywhere, just as the man before him had pointed out. He could make better use of his time elsewhere. Damn him for being so right! "...right," he muttered, keen on avoiding making himself look like an idiot if he could help it. "Thanks anyway."

The door slammed behind him as he exited the room, pissed off despite himself. Unable to leave until the Shinra'ta was taken care of? _Bullshit_! That could take years! Just what was Fassad playing at? He'd never said anything about being stuck here forever. Though even Claus knew that the Shinra'ta were sporadic bastards; they'd attack without warning, whether the army was ready for them or not. He'd also called Claus a 'vital part' of everything. Whether that was a compliment or just a reference to his abnormally strong PSI, he would have been rather flattered had it not prevented a rendezvous with his twin. Still, even if he left, they'd have Kumatora. They'd be fine without him for a few days. And the argument about Claus getting jumped on his way was was a load of crap, too. He could take care of himself just fine.

The one point Fassad had made that really caused Claus to think twice about the haphazard plan was the bit about them attacking Tazmily if he so much as stepped foot there. That was extremely risky business. If they really did do such a thing and Claus had knowingly taken such a gamble, he'd never forgive himself. As long as he could help it, that would never ever happen again.

Claus sighed, coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway he was in. It was in everyone's best interest if he stayed, then, at least for the time being. _Damn_. He had been looking forward to seeing everyone again, too...especially Lucas. But he supposed letters would have to continue to do.

Claus' face suddenly lit up. Letter! He'd completely forgotten about writing Lucas back! _Shit_. He really had meant to do so about a week ago, right after he'd read it, but he'd been intercepted by Delaney on his way for that stupid ceremony thing (it had taken hours. Claus had never felt so awkward and self-conscious in his life) and had subsequently forgotten about it in the hastiness of the week. He still needed that paper he'd never gotten around to getting.

His legs began moving again, orange cloth rubbing against itself as he strode down the hallway once more. That would be his next destination, then.

The copy room was merely a few meters away, as he'd just passed it maybe five minutes ago. Stepping inside, he looked around. Scanners, printers, and various other machines lined the room, leaving very little of the wall available for view. Purple and gray, as always, was the prevalent theme here, but a splash of white drew his attention. There was a woman manning one of the machines, dressed in a plain white button-up shirt and formal white skirt and looking to be doing something with said machine as she took papers out of it and put them into different stacks next to her. When Claus approached, she looked up. Her blonde hair didn't go down much farther than her shoulders and bright blue eyes stunned him for a moment. He decided that if Lucas had been born a woman, he'd have looked like this when he was twenty or so. She smiled at him pleasantly. "Hello there. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked kindly, her voice pretty and soothing to listen to.

Claus smiled as best he could in return, half praying that she wouldn't notice his cannon arm and stare at it, ruining the nonchalantness of the situation. "Hi. Actually there is," he paused for a moment, thinking. "I need a couple pieces of blank paper and an envelope, a normal-sized envelope. Oh, and a stamp. A pen, too. ...no, wait, I have a pen. Just paper, an envelope and a stamp."

She giggled at him, straightening herself up. "Sending a letter, are we, Commander?" she asked, though she hardly waited for an answer, turning around to fetch the supplies he'd specified. "No worries, I got you covered."

Claus was rather taken aback by her demeanor. Ever since he'd been hailed as a commander, people had become so much more reserved and formal around him, not daring to crack small jokes or relax. They were intimidated by him, to be sure. It kind of bugged him, though he wasn't too affected by it seeing as how he was never much of a social person to begin with. But this woman was different. Maybe because she wasn't directly affected by his position, being a secretary and all. He appreciated that attitude.

Having rummaged around in several different boxes while he was deep in thought, the blonde woman came back up to him, in her hands an envelope already pre-stamped and a couple sheets of blank printer paper. "There you go!" she handed them off genially, the smile having never left her face. "My name is Elle, by the way. If you need anything else office supply-related, I'll probably be here!" she laughed. "Have a good day, Commander."

Claus was again dumbfounded by her charm. She was beginning to even sound like his brother. He held the things in his good hand with little difficulty, allowing his arm to hang at his side once more. "Uh...of course. Thanks. You too, you have a good day."

The redhead couldn't help the color of his cheeks when Elle giggled at him as he slowly left the room. So much for the intimidating, impenetrable commander facade. Setting his pace once more, he traversed the halls with care, unwilling to accidentally run into someone and crumple his paper (because knowing his luck, it would happen). The few people he passed more or less ignored him just as he ignored them.

The elevator took a minute to come up, presumably because of numerous stops it was forced to take below. Just as he was about to shake his head and take the stairs, however, the thing made a loud _DING_ sound and the shiny metallic doors slid open, revealing a couple of pink pigmasks, helmets on. They stepped out and saluted him for a few seconds. Claus nodded in their direction accordingly, unsure of what exactly to do. This seemed to work for them, though, as they lowered their arms and went about their business once more. Claus stepped into the elevator right before its doors shut him out.

No one interrupted his decent, and less than a minute later it _DING_ed again, doors spreading wide to allow him through and onto the A floor. Luckily the elevator was semi-close to the hallway containing his half of the dorms, the male dorms, so he didn't have to walk but maybe fifteen meters to reach his room, number 116A. He paused outside, thinking for a second before gingerly tucking the papers he held between his cannon arm and body so his hand could open the door. His ingenuity paid off, and he was easily inside within five seconds.

Absently shutting the door behind him, he paid his messy room no mind, disregarding the strewn about clothes and unmade bed in favor of grabbing the book that lay upon his bedside table. Setting the papers down on it temporarily, he dug around inside a drawer in this table, retrieving a pen. He clicked the thing open, and carrying his materials with his arm, he plopped himself down in a chair to the left of everything, farthest away from the door.

Scribbling with his pen to make sure the ink hadn't dried out, he just sat there in thought for a minute. How to start it off this time? He shouldn't make it too bland or plain, but spicing it up too much would ruin the mood. Was there even such a thing as variety when one started a letter?

Claus shook his head roughly. _Oh, pull yourself together! It's just a letter, to your freaking brother, for God's sake. It doesn't matter_. So he penned down a _Dear Lucas_. There. Simple and to the point.

Since Claus had no idea of where to go from there, he merely opened the cover of the book he wrote on, sliding Lucas' letter out from under it. Now he could reply to everything Lucas had written. He began to reread the letter again, scribbling down replies and answers as he came to them.

As he wrote, Claus thought back to his earlier conversation with Fassad. Should he go ahead and inform his twin of his inability to visit? That would probably send the wrong message though, on top of everything. What if he didn't believe him? Maybe it would be better to just...play dumb to the topic, leave it alone. If Lucas brought it up, fine, he'd tell him, but before that, he'd simply ignore the problem. It was for the best, anyhow.

_You've ignored problems before; it didn't do much good, did it?_

Claus' brows furrowed. _Point taken, but there's not much else I can do. So shut up._

He decided he would, however, write about his own injury. That couldn't possibly hurt. _I can __empathize_, he wrote, _because my arm's not in the best of shape either_. He debated for a minute on whether or not to include the whole cannon arm part. Shifting in his seat, he settled with a no.

Ten minutes later he set the book on the ground beside him and flexed his poor fingers, wincing at the amount of effort it took to straighten them back out. But on the bright side, he was finished. Folding the paper he'd written on was pretty awkward with only one set of fingers to work with, but he eventually accomplished the task and stuffed it neatly into the envelope. Quickly scrawling his twin's new address on the outside of it using the previously sent packaging, he licked it and sealed it, nodding his head after all was said and done.

Intending to get the thing sent as soon as physically possible, Claus stood up and made his way out of his room. He pulled the fur lining his jacket away from his neck a little; the stuff made his skin itch sometimes, much to his annoyance. Hitting the 'up' button at the end of the hall, he waited idly for the elevator to come down to get him. When it finally did, there was no one on it (most everyone else was either training or out of the base entirely), so he took a step into the thing and pressed the G button. The initial jolt of the machine moving was something Claus could never quite get used to.

The mail room was down the hall before the hall containing Fassad's office and the copy room. Claus walked in without a second thought, but it wasn't until he was at the counter and attempting to make eye contact with the employee standing behind said counter that he noticed who else was in the room.

An arm was hung around his shoulders, and a face with eyes as green as his own came into view. "Well, would you look at who it is?" a familiar voice said, tone quite playful. "How are you this fine day, Commander man?"

Claus tried his best to look irritated, though his smile probably gave him away. "I could ask you the same thing, Colonel Kumatora."

The pinkette laughed, releasing the boy's neck and standing back a bit. She wore that same uniform, a dark blue long-sleeve dress-esque kind of getup, set with various metallic buttons in different places. It certainly made her look her age, and sophisticated at that. "Ahh, Colonel Kumatora sounds nice. Commander Claus also has a nice ring to it. But anyway, I'm doing okay." She turned back around as Claus spoke with the clerk, handing the letter off with a nod of his head. "So, whatcha doin'?"

Claus glanced at her indifferently. "Sending some mail, what does it look like?" he answered, though it had been a rhetorical question at best. "I should be asking you that."

Kumatora pursed her lips. "What, you think you're the only one that can send mail? I just mailed a letter to Ionia, thank you very much," she huffed, crossing her arms when Claus looked surprised. "She's probably worried about me."

Claus frowned. "How is she going to get it? She doesn't live in town."

Kumatora shrugged, hands behind her as she followed Claus out of the room once more. "Ionia'll know. She always does."

Claus _hmm'_d. "I see."

He was half-hoping she'd stop following him or something, but after a minute it became apparent that she wasn't going to. "So, really, how are you?"

Claus turned a corner. "Fine, thanks."

She gave him a skeptical look. "I don't buy that. Just look at that scowl on your face. What's got you worked up?"

Claus raised an eyebrow. Worked up? Maybe she was referring to his encounter with Fassad earlier, where he'd been shot down like a duck. But how would she even know that? His face couldn't still be scowl-ridden so long after the fact, could it? "I'm not worked up. I'm fine."

She tutted audibly, but other than that stayed silent as they meandered on over to the elevators for the umpteenth time that day. "If you say so. But I wanted to ask you something."

Claus paused, looking back at her. "Okay, shoot."

She smiled. "Come out with us tonight. We can go explore the town."

Claus blinked. "No."

Kumatora frowned at the reaction she'd gotten. "Oh, come _on_. Why not?"

"Because I don't feel like it."

"Well, obviously. Just do it, you party pooper. It'll get your mind off all this," the pinkette waved her hands around her, clearly referring to the whole army business. "You'll have fun."

Claus sighed. If he was honest with himself, getting out would be a nice change of pace from the cramped halls of the Pigmask Army Main Headquarters (PAMH for short). "Who exactly are you referring to when you say 'us'?" he asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer already.

Kumatora grinned even wider. "Thomas, Duster and I, silly," she answered, though she quickly tacked on to this sentence when Claus gave her a dubious look. "And no, it isn't a date. Just going out."

_Maybe not now, but that's what it's going to turn into_. Claus' expression was flat when he next regarded the woman beside him. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" he asked, following her onto the elevator that had just arrived for them.

She winked at him. "Not a chance."

As suspected. When the loud _DING_ signaled their arrival at floor B, he gave her his half-hearted answer: "Alright, fine. You win. I'll go."

She beamed at him. "Great! Meet us in the B rec room at eight o'clock sharp. I'll fine you ten million DP if you're late!" she called, having gotten off the elevator. Her gloved hands waved until the doors closed again and began to go down that last floor to reach A. Claus sighed once again, leaning his body back up against the wall behind him.

He had a feeling tonight would be interesting, to say the least.  
_  
-asdfjkl;-_

"Oh, wait! Let's look inside this one!"

The group came to a halt as the pinkette stared into yet another little shop situated on the side of the street. It was almost sad; they had been out now for almost two hours, and they were still on the eastern side of this road, the side they'd started on. Probably hundreds of shops lined the road here on either side, each practically begging for money, with bright neon-colored signs and lights. This was one place where the generic purple and gray rule of New Pork didn't apply.

Kumatora grabbed Duster by the arm and dragged him inside the shop with her, the shop being a fancy vase merchant. She wore the trademark blue and white hoodie-dress of hers once again, black skin-tight shorts underneath. Duster was wearing a blue and white shirt, also (Claus wanted to barf at the obvious, cliche flirting going on here) as well as cream-colored pants. Claus decided he wasn't going to follow them inside this time, and stayed outside with Thomas. The night's cool breeze was nullified by the long-sleeve black shirt he wore (which was long enough to hide his cannon arm from public view, thank goodness), and the same orange cargo pants from his uniform. Thomas donned a red sweater and jeans, as well as a yellow beanie atop his short black hair.

The man beside him put a hand on the hack of his neck, chuckling. "You know, I wasn't expecting Kumatora to be the shopping type," he admitted as the two of them watched Kumatora dart around inside, giving many vases a fascinated stare. "But she doesn't ever buy anything, so I guess she's more the browsy type."

Claus watched on with a slightly amused expression. From what he could recall, Kumatora had never even really been to a shop or square in Tazmily either, so of course she'd be at least somewhat interested in it all. He couldn't imagine having lived alone or with magypsies his whole life. "It's only because of how new it all is. After tonight she'll probably cool off and ignore them just like she would have if she knew what they were."

Thomas nodded his head in agreement before turning to Claus. "So, have you two been friends for a long time?"

Claus was a little taken aback by the question, but nevertheless answered honestly. "No, not really. We only knew each other for a few days before we enlisted."

Thomas laughed. "Oh really? Runnin' away from home together, were ya?"

Claus didn't smile. There hadn't really been a home to run away from. "Not exactly...it's complicated."

The older of the two shook his head. "I can imagine. Sorry if I made you feel like you had to tell me or something. I understand if you don't wanna talk about it."

Claus glanced at Thomas, who had become placid once more. Huh. That was an unexpected response. He smiled as he looked away. The guy was nicer than he gave him credit for.

Before he could say anything more, however, the two lovebirds burst back out of the store, arms as empty as they had been beforehand. Kumatora looked bored. "Well, there wasn't anything interesting in there," she shrugged, leading the way west once again with Duster right behind her. "Let's keep going!"

Thomas chuckled as the latter two followed behind them. Claus rolled his eyes; if it hadn't been for Thomas' presence, he would have left long ago. He felt like such a third wheel that it wasn't at all funny.

A few minutes of scattered idle conversation and casual strolling later, Claus caught that glint in Kumatora's eyes when she spotted a store boasting useless little trinkets that gave away her childish curiosity. He reached up and grabbed her shoulder before she could even move. "If you even think about going in there, I'll kill you."

Kumatora pouted, crossing her arms and giving Claus a disgruntled, almost skeptical look. "Alright, fine. What do you propose we do?"

Claus blinked at the sudden question. "I don't know," he answered honestly, shaking his head at Kumatora's then-why-the-hell-are-you-even-talking look. "Just not this."

"Well, I have a bit of an idea," Thomas jumped in to aid the boy, holding a finger up. "We could all go to Chupa Cabra's. I hear they're having a special tonight."

Duster crossed his arms, turning to face his friend. "That's not a bad idea. I'm sure they'll let Claus in."

Both pinkette and redhead looked at the two with blank expressions. "What's a chupa cabra?" Kumatora asked, head tilted slightly to the side in genuine curiosity.

Duster laughed heartily, putting a hand on both their backs. "Oh, you'll see. It's better than it sounds." He began to push the younger two forward, Thomas following close behind. "It's not too far ahead."

"If anyone asks, Claus, you're nineteen," Thomas winked at him, causing the boy to raise an eyebrow.

"I kind of doubt anyone would believe that," he replied, bagging on his own height and boyish features. "And why would this place care about ages? Is it a bar?"

"Not quite," Duster answered for him as the foursome continued on their way. "It's a club."

"A club where they drink?" Kumatora asked, confused.

"Yes! But that's not all there is to do," Thomas smiled. "You'll just have to see it for yourself, I guess."

"They don't have any clubs in Tazmily, do they?" Duster remarked.

Claus shook his head. "Nope."

"Guess it'll be a learning experience," Kumatora yawned, pocketing her hands in the pouch on the front of her hoodie-dress.

Two chuckles. "You could say that, I guess."

Five minutes of uninterrupted traveling later, they arrived at their destination. What shocked both Kumatora and Claus was the fact that they could hear the place long before they could see it. Fast, upbeat music blared from the neon-lit building in front of them, the flashing sign of which was labeled 'Chupa Cabra's'. Through the tinted windows people could be seen moving around, presumably dancing to the music. Claus had to admit it was catchy. The whole place had a particular feel to it, like it was something all the cool people did with their nights off. A few people hung about outside, possibly because of having been denied entry by the rather burly man standing by the entrance. There was a short line next to him, people only able to go inside if he nodded at them.

"This place looks fun enough," Kumatora observed, squinting from the sudden brightness.

"Just wait 'till you get inside," Thomas laughed.

The line moved pretty quickly when they went to stand in it. The burly man gave them a passing glance before allowing them inside, not even looking in Claus' direction. Claus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; he couldn't deny such dumb luck, now could he?

He instantly coughed upon crossing the threshold. It smelled overwhelmingly like smoke, the stench enough to make him want to hurl. There were so many people, all crowded into little groups and around tables and out in the middle of the floor, dancing in a way Claus had never seen before and smoking various products the boy couldn't identify. Women, scantily clad (and some hardly wearing anything other than maybe a thong at all), were dancing on poles and fawning over certain men, one of which, in the very back of the place, had a pig mask on. He was very muscular; Claus had never seen him before.

"Interesting," Claus said, unable to hear himself over the booming music, sarcasm going unnoticed by the other three.

Thomas laughed, hooking an arm around Claus' shoulders. "Don't ogle the ladies too much, now, unless you can pay 'em!"

They weaved their way through the masses of people, eventually coming to a vacant table near the establishment's bar, a bit less crowded than most other areas of the club. Claus sat next to Thomas and Duster next to Kumatora. The latter two sat awfully close to each other, and Claus had to fight back the snide comments burning in the back of his mind.

A waitress came up to the table as soon as they'd made themselves comfortable. "Welcome to Chupa Cabra's!" she winked at them all, thankfully dressed in a none-too-revealing uniform. "My name is Ana, and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get you folks a drink?"

Thomas took over from here. "A round of beers, Coors Light, my good lady," he announced, smiling at her chummily. "It's all on me tonight."

Duster protested. "We're splitting the bill, actually," he amended, also smiling at her.

She laughed. "No worries, I'll split it all up when you guys plan on leavin'," she scribbled on her little pad. "Is that everything?"

"I think that's good for now," Duster nodded.

She nodded in return. "Right then, be right back," she bowed her head a bit before stepping away as quickly as she'd come, having other tables to attend to.

Claus couldn't help but cover his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his shirt, trying to get a good, smokeless breath. "Air fresheners would do this place wonders," he half-chuckled, remembering the little sprays they'd used at work to keep the place smelling nice.

Duster nodded his head, more out of sympathy than agreement. "Yeah, the smell takes getting used to. But air freshener would just mix in with the smoke, and that'd be even worse."

Claus shrugged his shoulders. "True."

Their waitress hopped back over to their table, balancing a tray with many different drinks on them skillfully. "Alright, round of Coors Light, right?" she asked, though she began passing the bottles around before she got an answer. She didn't hesitate to set the bottle in front of Claus, who gave her a small thanks in return. "Let me know if you need anything else!" she smiled comfortably at them before jogging off to the next table.

Duster gave Claus an almost concerned look. "Claus, you don't have to drink it," he offered, being the only one of the three to take any responsibility as an adult. The redhead appreciated that.

But his thanks was overridden by a casual Thomas. "Oh, come now, Duster! Let the boy have his fun." Thomas picked his bottle up. "Cheers, you lot! To a good night!"

All three of his companions did the same, and they all clinked their bottles together. Claus, however, hesitated to take a drink when the other three took a swig. He had never had alcohol before, mainly because he was pretty far underage (fifteen, and the minimum age for drinking was nineteen or twenty). He also didn't like the smell of it; the stench was almost as repulsive as the smoky smell. But he shook his head. It was the cool thing to do. He didn't want to look like more of a kid than he already was, right? Drinking couldn't be all that bad. Everyone else around him was doing it.

_You're quite a bit younger than all of them, wouldn't you say?_

His conscious was promptly ignored in favor of taking a haphazard gulp out of his own bottle. Both pinkette and redhead spluttered a bit just seconds later, obviously not used to the distinctive taste.

"Ugh, that tastes disgusting," Claus coughed, wrinkling his nose and pushing the bottle away from himself. In hindsight, that had been a really stupid move. Just because others are doing something didn't necessarily mean one had to too. One could just laugh at their drunk asses at the end of the night and pat their hung over backs in the morning.

Kumatora wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "It's interesting, I'll give it that," she said, a half-smile on her lips as she took a second swig.

"That's the spirit, Kuma!" Thomas laughed, having downed half of his own beer already. "It'll loosen you up."

Claus decided he wouldn't even attempt to drink any more of his own beverage, instead content to just watch his older buddies drink and drink...and drink some more. Kumatora was unsurprisingly the first one drunk; after half of her second beer she started slurring her words and leaning heavily on Duster, getting all worked up over simple things like forks and the color of the man's shirt. Duster didn't seem at all bothered by the omnipresent contact.

Next was Duster, though he had had four beers before he began playing along with Kumatora's spiels quite seriously, and the two debated over whether or not pickles wore sunglasses.

"But they _doooo_!" Kumatora droned, grabbing the front of Duster's shirt and half shaking him. "I'seen it before! The big one with the cool shaaades...they don' like it when puh-people try ta eat 'em."

Duster slammed his hand on the table, holding a finger up in the air with the most intense expression on his face. "Pickles do _not_ wear sunglasses. When do they ever...go out...inthesun? Pickles don't _neeed_ sunglasses, Kumaflora, and plush they don't even haff noses to wear um with."

Claus was hunched with his hand over his face, trying to hold back his helpless amusement while Thomas was howling, slapping his knee with one hand and fifth beer sloshing around in the other.

They had been there for quite a while when Duster decided it would be a good idea to ask Kumatora if she wanted to dance. Intoxicated and giggling, the pinkette agreed, and the two stumbled off to the crowded dance floor, undaunted by the number of people able to see their silliness, because to be honest, half the people up there were drunk too. Claus, having been up until that point occupied by his tipsy pals, sat alone with Thomas, who was getting to that point himself.

The boy looked around him, observing his surroundings a little more closely. People, people and more people. It had gotten even more crowded than before. So it was true that city people were night owls. It was loud, and not just because of the music; these people were laughing and drinking and playing billiards and all sorts of things, really. Upon closer listening, Claus could make out the words of the song, sort of. It was about drinking and "clubbing" and sex. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing, idly tapping his pretty much full beer bottle as people buzzed around him.

Thomas elbowed him. "Hey," he said, nodding over in the direction they faced. "Look, she's totally checking you out."

Claus blinked. Looking around where he'd specified, he suddenly met two brown eyes, a brunette woman staring straight at him. She was definitely making eyes at him, with that provocative smile on her face. Which was rather weird, considering she was quite clearly at least four years older than he was. There was no denying her sexual charm, and any teen Claus' age would have jumped on such a golden opportunity without so much as a second thought, but... _I don't even know her. And I'm definitely not that kind of person._

_But what better way to relieve pent up emotions? Surely you could use it.  
_  
Claus blinked again. _...wait, what? Are you seriously suggesting that I do her just for the hell of it?  
_  
_Not really, but it may just get your mind off your brother._

Claus' eye twitched. _Cheap shot, asshole._

But he would hear no more of his stupid conscious (and seriously, what kind of conscious says no to drinking but yes to sex?) as he silenced it, instead turning to Thomas and smiling honestly. "Nah, man, I think she's looking at you."

Though the woman was clearly looking at Claus, the alcohol was serving its purpose rather well. "You really think so?" he muttered, obviously not turned off by the notion.

Claus nodded. "Totally. She's pining for you. Go talk to her."

That was apparently all the pep-talking the man needed, as he stood up, adjusted his beanie, picked up his beer and winked at Claus craftily. "Don't wait up for me," he chuckled before sauntering his way over to her, introducing himself and sitting down without an invitation. The woman looked surprised by his boldness, and it was clear she hadn't expected him to come over, but gradually Thomas managed to break the ice and the woman smiled at him too, not entirely displeased with him.

Claus was entertained by these events, but soon averted his gaze when the touching and feeling came about, rolling eyes eyes. Now that he thought about it, it seemed like everyone in here was doing something sexual; the scandalous women dancing on poles, people like Thomas and the woman getting friendly, those on the dance floor who were grinding up against each other...he felt awkward. The smoky smell was coming back, some people next to him having lit up. His head was beginning to pound. He could hardly hear himself think anymore.

_...I don't belong here._

A sudden presence to his side startled him a bit. Looking up, he saw their waitress for the seventh or eighth thine that night (probably more, but he'd lost count), smiling down at him. "Can I get you anything, sir?"

He smiled back, shaking his head. "Oh, no thanks, ma'am. I was actually about to leave."

She made a sad face. "Aww, so soon?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. She studied him for a moment, causing Claus to tense for a moment before he remembered his cannon arm was out of sight. "Say, aren't you a bit young to be in here?"

Claus was tempted to laugh. Yes, serve him the drink before you say anything. Greedy bastards. "No, I'm nineteen," he said, though he knew he'd hesitated a second too long.

She laughed. "Oh, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that one," she said, winking at him. "But I won't tell. You don't seem to have had much to drink, either. Good boy." She looked around. "Did your friends leave too?"

He shook his head. "Nah, they're here. Could you tell them I left, when they come back? I don't want to, y'know, interrupt them or anything," he said, feeling no need to elaborate.

She smiled. "Of course. Have a good night! And I hope I don't see you in here again for a couple more years, young man," she winked before walking off once more, blonde ponytail swishing behind her.

He smiled at her back for a moment before getting up from the booth, stretching his stiff arms and legs before heading to the front of the place, wary of those around him. Luckily he made it through people without too much trouble, and exited the place quickly.

He sighed, promising himself that he would never take fresh air for granted again. Walking down the not-as-crowded-as-it-had-been road, he thought for a moment about what Lucas would do if he found out Claus had even thought about drinking, at a bar (or club, he guessed), no less. It made him both laugh and shudder.

_Yeah..let's not do anything stupid from now on._

And for the first time that night, Claus agreed with his conscious. First thing tomorrow he would eat breakfast and get all his Commander work done, like a good, responsible person. One didn't have to drink or get laid to be mature!

Claus yawned. That could wait until tomorrow, though.

Right now, he needed sleep. 

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Okay, okay, horrible place to end the chapter. I know. But if it gets any longer I'll shoot myself in the foot. And there's no plot! GRAAGH. I'm sorry. But I've always wanted to write a bar/club scene. And drunk!Duster/Kumatora is amazing.**_

Did you catch all the hidden PSAs? Underage drinking, peer pressure and just-for-the-hell-of-it/unprotected sex are all no-nos, kids, so don't do it~

This fic needs more Claus/Lucas.

But it's kinda hard when they're in TWO DIFFERENT CITIES ENTIRELY. Goodness. It's a twincest fic without any twincest. Whattheheck.

Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. I'd love to hear from you!

Hasta luego~ C:


	14. XIV Almost There

_**A/N: **"I have no excuses. No good excuses, that is. 'twas super busy last weekend, and this week has all but been devoured by my newest anime fetish (Ao no Exorcist). Hopefully I can finish this by Wednesday of next week (12.21.11)..."** HAH. Oh, how I lied in this old, old A/N. I still stand by those first two lines though. I just wasn't feeling Protector, to be honest.**_

BUT I POWERED THROUGH IT (seriously, the first two-thirds of this chapter has been sitting around since around 12.15.11), and now you have this. Hooray.

OH GOD, SPOILERS AHEAD. I JUST WARNED YOU. YOU READY FOR THIS? OKAY THEN, HERE I GO. WESS IS...DUSTER'S FATHER.

-crowd gasps-

Terrible joke is terrible. Moving on.

DISCLAIMER: Lukeprism owns every single thing here—nope! Chuck Testa.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

Light was only just beginning to filter in through the window to the right of the room, dimly illuminating the floor below it. A few articles of clothing—a pair of denim shorts and a red and yellow-striped shirt along with a couple of socks—were scattered on the floor, having been thrown off in a futile attempt to alleviate some feverish heat. The bed that lay in the top-middle of the room was still occupied, but the sheets completely covered said occupant, leaving only a big bulge visible. Lucas was awake, having had trouble sleeping the night before for obvious reasons, and he was tired. So he thought that maybe by ignoring his visitor's knock, he'd be left alone and able to try and doze for a little longer.

His plan quickly withered away from his immediate consciousness when the door opened despite a lack of response. He was only left wondering who it was for a moment before the mystery person spoke aloud quietly to himself. "Oh, good, he's still asleep."

Lucas was tempted to feign sleep, but truth be told, he'd been doing that for hours, and he was bored. Besides, the sooner he explained himself, the better. "Good morning, Fuel."

He could hear Fuel start from his spot under the covers. "H-huh? Lucas, you're awake?" A pause. "Oh God, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Despite his mood the blonde smiled at how horrified Fuel sounded. Forcing himself to abandon his warm cocoon, he slowly sat up and let the covers fall off his torso. The cool air of his room hit his bare chest like thousands of tiny icicles, and with a small gasp he pulled the sheets back up to his neck as an afterthought. "Nah, I was already awake."

The brunette's expression relaxed noticeably. "Oh." He shuffled over to the side of the bed to inspect him. "How are you feeling? Tessie said she'd be over in a minute."

Lucas' stomach lurched at the thought of Tessie. She had gone last night to investigate whatever kind of sickness Lucas had...in that case, it was possible that she may have discovered what was up with the shiny blue stuff, right? This was both good and bad; good because he might figure out what exactly it was, but bad because, well, it was abnormal. What if she wrote him off as a freak? And Fuel would be here to see it, and he'd do it too...just a never-ending cycle of crap. "Actually, I feel fine."

Fuel blinked. "...fine? As in, no fever, no queasiness, nothing?"

Lucas nodded, not forgetting to savor being able to move his noggin without fear of spiteful throbs back at him because of it. "Mhmm. Just tired."

"Tired? But Tessie gave you the sleeping pill last ni..." he cut himself off as he looked past Lucas to the bedside table on his other side. Brown eyes widened. "Woah, man, your lamp's _broken_!"

Lucas followed his gaze and remembered with a jolt that he had indeed accidentally shattered that lamp, which wasn't even his own...damn. How to explain? "Y-yeah. I was rolling around last night and I accidentally..." The thing looked like someone had shot it with a bullet, the base still lying on the table more or less untouched. "...kicked it."

The blonde half-expected Fuel to call bullshit, but he actually seemed to buy it; he just scratched his head, looking down at Lucas with an amused expression. "Dangerous in your sleep, huh?"

Lucas' expression was sheepish. "Guess so."

At that moment there was a small knock on the door. The two, having been interrupted, looked up. "Come in," Lucas called, ninety-five percent sure it was Tessie who wordlessly requested entry. He ended up being correct, the woman entering the room quickly. She smiled at Lucas, his comfortable, upright position not going unnoticed.

"Good morning, Lucas. I take it you're feeling a bit better today?"

Lucas smiled at her in return. "Yes, ma'am," he answered. "In fact, I'm completely back to normal."

"Entirely?" she asked, approaching him and placing a hand on his forehead regardless. Lucas nodded slowly in response. After a few seconds the female brunette seemed to be convinced and settled with another smile. "Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that."

Lucas closed his eyes. "Yeah, me too."

"And it was the strangest thing," she continued, crossing her arms. "There wasn't so much as a hint of anything wrong with you, not according to the results I got. Normal blood cell count, no blood-borne diseases, nothing. I have no idea what it was; maybe it's a virus that lives dormant inside you and sometimes symptoms come up...?" She shook her head. "I don't know. But just be sure you keep yourself hydrated, okay? And properly fed, so your body can handle it if it comes back."

The boy in the bed nodded promptly, grateful for her care. "Will do."

Fuel, who had busied himself cleaning up the bits and pieces of Lucas' shattered lamp during their little chat, stood up straight once more. "That's true. You've gotta keep your strength up!" He moved to dump all the pieces in the blonde's little trash can, carefully brushing the seat of his pants off. "Tell you what. Let's go out to breakfast! I haven't eaten yet either."

As if on cue, Lucas' stomach let out a fierce growl, making both brunettes laugh. He hadn't really realized how hungry he was before that moment, so with a self-conscious coloration of his face he accepted Fuel's offer with a nod. "But you know," he spoke to his friend, "there's a free continental breakfast here 'till eight-thirty."

Fuel shook his head. "That's just fine for you, but I'm not a paying customer, so I can't. Besides, I bet they don't make French toast like Ed can!" Point having been made, he turned to the nurse who stood beside the bedridden boy. "Care to join us, Tessie?"

The woman laughed. "I'm flattered by the offer," she said, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear, "but I'm afraid I already had a muffin on my way here. Plus, I need to get to work soon."

Fuel pouted. "Aw, okay."

She bowed. "I'll bet you two could split an elephant between you, so I'll take my leave. Stay healthy, Lucas. And you too, Fuel," she giggled, adding that last thought in extemporaneously. "See you around."

"Goodbye, Tessie," the boys echoed politely. When the door shut behind her, Fuel turned to Lucas. "So, whatcha waiting for? Get dressed so we can go."

Lucas mock-scowled at him. "Calm yourself," he said, sliding out from beneath his warm beddings, half-regretting the action as the chilly air hit his skin again. He grabbed his (also freezing) crutches from where they rest beside the headboard and stood up, walking right over the clothes he'd worn yesterday and towards his dresser.

"Is it hard dressing with crutches?" Fuel asked absently as he watched Lucas pluck articles of clothing from different drawers and proceed to wiggle into them. "Or broken appendages, I guess."

Lucas had his brow furrowed in concentration. "Not after a while. You get used to it." After pulling on his plain black tee shirt, the boy shifted his weight to his good leg while he navigated the bulky cast through the left hole of his khaki shorts. "They're pretty much healed, though, so it doesn't make much of a difference what I do now." A pause as he tugged them up his lower half. "But I don't want to take any chances."

Fuel chuckled. "Understandable, my friend."

When Lucas had his shoe on two minutes later, the blonde looked up at Fuel with big blue eyes. "By the way, I hope you can pay for me, too. I'm kinda broke."

Fuel dramatically threw his hands into the air and sighed loudly. "Honestly, Lucas! Geez, what a freeloader!"

Lucas batted his eyelashes. "Surely you can't refuse a handicapped little boy?"

Fuel grimaced. "Handicapped little boy my _ass_," he muttered, pocketing his hands. "But I guess I could spare a few DP."

Lucas laughed. "You're too kind."

"Yeah, well. You just hurry up before my stomach takes control and I leave you behind!"

_-asdfjkl;-_

Lucas groaned. "Okay, it's official. I ate _way_ too much."

Fuel walked beside him, down the sidewalk, and he laughed. "Well, obviously. Three orders of omelets, Lucas. Three!"

The two had stuffed themselves at the local diner run by Ed, someone who was considered to be one of the greatest breakfast cooks ever by Tazmily natives. Fuel had eaten a healthy amount, yes, but Lucas had flat out destroyed him when it came down to the amount of ingested food. The brunette had omitted the part where Lucas had also downed a stack of pancakes, two biscuits, an apple, a serving of hashbrowns, half of one of Fuel's slices of French toast and four slices of bacon. Needless to say, the boy was feeling sluggish.

"No need to rub it in. And I swear I'll pay you back."

Though Lucas' part of the bill alone had been well over 150 DP, Fuel waved off the notion. "Nah, you're fine. With what money, anyway?"

Lucas' face reddened. "Shut up. I can just work it off if I ne—wait a minute." He looked around himself. "Post office. Let's go."

Fuel turned to look at his friend, but said friend was already hobbling his way down the sidewalk, knowing the post office was only about a block or so away from their position. He followed at somewhat of a distance. "The post office? Why?"

"Because you just reminded me of something," was the boy's rather cryptic reply. Fuel just stared at his back for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, once more following him.

"Alright, alright. But are they even open this early?" Fuel brought up a valid point, making Lucas frown.

"They better be!"

To the crutched boy's relief, though, it was. In the early (a quarter to seven was rather early to the blonde, not so much his companion) morning light, the two left the near-vacant streets and filed into an even emptier building; Tazmily's Post Office, the sign supplied to its visitors. Uttering a small automatic "thank you," to Fuel as he held the door open for him, he made his way up to the little counter, catching the attention of the middle-aged man working it.

Smiling at him hospitably, the man spoke. "Hello there. Can I help you with something?"

Lucas shifted his grip on his crutches. "Actually, yes, sir. I was just coming to check on something. Does a, uh, Lucas Itoi have any mail?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't wait for a delivery, eh?" he asked, though one could tell the question was jocular.

Nevertheless, the boy's face reddened once more. "...well, I guess not," he admitted, fidgeting with the plastic on his left crutch. Truth be told, Lucas had no idea if he actually had any mail or not...but he had some kind of premonition, a feeling that he did. It was the weirdest thing.

The man laughed. "It's perfectly fine to be early, anyhow!" He then nodded. "I'll just go and check, then. Lucas Itoi...let me see..." he trailed off as he sauntered on back to the room where they presumably kept hundreds upon hundreds of people's mail.

Fuel looked around him. "You know, now that I think about it, we need stamps." He grabbed a sheet off the little display tray that sat next to the customer service section of the counter and fished his wallet out of his pocket, not for the first time that morning.

Lucas noted that he also needed stamps, but he wasn't about to ask Fuel to buy yet another something for him. Briefly he smacked himself internally for not having stopped by the bank to withdraw some DP, though truth be told the twins didn't have much left in their shared account.

The man walked back toward them, and Lucas was both surprised and pleased to see him holding an envelope. "Here you are, Mr. Itoi," he said placidly, handing off the letter. Fluidly he transitioned from that task to the other, turning toward Fuel. "And you said you needed stamps?"

As the brunette went about buying said stamps, Lucas inspected his mail. It was from the Pigmask Army, with a nice dull pink pig nose insignia on its front. Sticking his thumb into a loose slit, he opened it with little trouble, sliding the paper inside out. He had an idea of what this was about, but he couldn't be sure until he read the thing first.

"Thanks. You have a good day, too," Fuel replied to his gracious salesman, stuffing both wallet and stamps into his yellow shorts' back pocket. He didn't notice Lucas' expression until he had taken a step toward the door to leave. The brown-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Lucas...?"

The boy looked like he'd just seen something so incredible it left one completely speechless. Wide blue eyes swept back and forth, as if trying to comprehend what he was reading, or making sure he was reading it right. His chin had basically hit the floor. "Huh, huh, holy..."

Highly doubting Lucas would be capable of giving him a coherent response for the next five minutes, he approached him and swiveled his head around to read the letter for himself. His reaction wasn't much better. He blinked a few times before he whistled. "Hot damn, Lucas, you're loaded!"

In Lucas' dumbfounded hands lay a proof of deposit to his and Claus' bank account, the exact amount of which being 80,000 DP*.

"Eight-eight-_eighty thousand DP_," the blonde managed to croak, lowering the paper absently as he stared of into space. "That's more than Claus and I would make here combined in three months."

"That's more than my dad makes in two! That's pretty freakin' impressive."

"That's..." Lucas put a hand to his head, rubbing slightly. "...way too much money."

Fuel shrugged. "If I were you, I wouldn't be complaining."

After a moment's thought, Lucas nodded. "Very true. Even so...I had no idea the army would pay _that_ much..." He just shook his head. Trying to understand things that went over his head like that just wasn't worth it; he'd leave that to Claus. Carefully, like tearing it would send him straight to hell (though Lucas was fairly sure he'd end up there anyway), he refolded the paper and put it back in the envelope, tucking it into his back pocket.

They left without much more conversation. When the door closed behind them, Fuel put his hands behind his head. "Gotta get home soon to help Dad out. So then, what're you gonna do first with your newfound fortune?"

Despite it being a joke of sorts, Lucas took a minute to give the inquiry some serious consideration. "Well, I guess I'll buy a new lamp for my room," he decided as they crossed the street, the dozens of cars that were most likely on their way to work stopping for them. "And get myself a jacket, since it's probably going to get cold soon."

The brunette laughed. "My God, Lucas," he said. "So practical! You sound like a responsible old man."

Lucas flushed. "H-huh?"

Another laugh. "Don't worry about it, man," Fuel assured him with a friendly wink and a pat on the shoulder. "It's actually kind of a compliment. I'll see you later, okay? Don't let yourself get all sick again, or I'll have to bust some heads."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he replied, holding up a hand in farewell as he and Fuel parted ways. "See you."

As they went their separate ways, the crutchbound boy pondered his next destination for a moment. Would he go to the bank and then the store to purchase the lamp and jacket he'd gone on about? He honestly couldn't be bothered at that point, feeling too lazy to backtrack twice just to do so. But if he went home, he'd feel like a total bum. A few thoughts later, he managed to come up with something he could do. He set a brisk pace north, a couple of blocks up to the central square with which he was so familiar.

To the right of the sparkling fountain he went, unable to help the smile of his when he spotted a couple of kids throwing coins into the fountain and making wishes. He remembered when he and Claus had practically made a religious habit of making wishes everyday, like they would come true. Even with the newfound cynicism and pessimistic attitude his mind had adopted...Lucas wouldn't mind having his wish come true.

Shaking his head, he resumed his walk, staying on the outer edge of the square as he tugged the door of the medium-sized building open and hurried inside before said door swung shut on him. The big plaque on the storefront read "Tazmily Library," clear as day.

The library was rather empty. The publicly provided tables were deserted, all the chairs pushed in neatly and uniformly. There were a couple of people down in the aisles, idly browsing the book-stuffed shelves, but other than that the place seemed pretty devoid of life. It disappointed Lucas, who was quite the avid reader, but there wasn't much he could do to fix that; either you liked reading or you didn't, and unfortunately, most didn't. The blonde walked in slowly, trying to ignore the slight squeak of his crutches as he made his way across the large, quiet room to where the majority of the tables sat next to windows that gave one a nice view of the square.

On his way around, he spotted his employer, old man Wess, who was busily putting books away in their proper places on the shelves. Before Lucas could attempt to announce his presence somehow, the balding man spotted him out of his peripheral vision, and he turned toward him with an expression he recognized as surprise before it morphed into a smile. "Wahah! If it isn't Lucas, up and around again!" he acknowledged him, setting the stack of books he'd had in his hands down on the movable cart he had beside him before walking toward him with a fond grin. "How are you, my boy?"

Lucas smiled back, glad to see Wess was still the same old Wess. "I'm doing fine, Wess, thank you," he replied, holding his hands partially up in the air. "If I'm interrupting or anything, feel free to kick me out. I can always come back later."

Wess laughed again, shaking his head. "Nonsense!" he proclaimed, sliding the chair out from under the nearest table. "Please, sit down! We haven't chatted in some time. I could use a break from all this book-sorting anyhow."

Lucas sighed and smiled, taking the seat Wess had suggested gratefully. "If you say so. Thanks." As Wess sat himself down opposite him, Lucas took another glance around the establishment. "It's a bit empty in here."

Wess took a look as well, nodding his head in agreement. "Sure is. It's a bit strange how just a month ago there was a surge of interest in the library, but now it's like a ghost town." He sighed. "It's a little disheartening."

Lucas laughed. "Yeah, I can understand that feeling," he agreed, having forgotten that Wess loved to read even more than he did. He paused for a moment after that. "So, how have you been?"

Wess smiled again, his face wrinkling up a little. "Well I'm still kickin', that's for sure!" he laughed, afterwards taking on a more serious expression. "I've been okay. My back's been starting to hurt a bit more lately, but I'm thinking that's just a part of bein' old." He shook his head. "But enough about me. There's a reason you came here, isn't there? Or maybe you really did just want to hear an old man whine about his back?"

The blonde giggled. "That sounds fun and all, but you're right," he replied, crossing his arms in front of him on the table. "I actually came to talk about work." The teen looked at Wess with an apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly like that. I was your only other employee! I assume you've probably hired someone else by now, but still..."

Wess shook his head, regarding Lucas with an almost fatherly expression. "Oh, Lucas. Feeling sorry for something you can't control is stupid! You were injured, it only makes sense you had to leave for a prolonged amount of time." He gestured to Lucas' crutches, which he had leaning against the table beside him. "And you're still healing up, I see. Don't worry about it, my boy."

Lucas' face was one of gratitude as he replied, the smile on his face seemingly omnipresent. "Thanks for that, Wess."

The old man nodded his head. "Sure. Besides, I haven't gotten around to hiring anyone else yet. I haven't gotten any applicants, after all!"

Lucas started. "Huh? Wow, really? You've been doing all the organizing and checking in and out and indexing and everything by yourself?" He was pretty impressed; the two of them always seemed to have a hell of a time indexing even when it was two of them.

He laughed heartily. "Oh, this old man is capable of more than you may think," he assured with a wink.

Lucas cocked his head to the side. "So then, does that mean I still have a job here?"

"Mhmm. Like I said, I wouldn't fire you for getting injured in a freak accident."

Lucas sat back in his chair. "Oh." A small smile. "Good." He didn't want the job for the money, of course; they'd never need any more money with how well Claus was apparently getting paid. No, he wanted the job because one, without something to do everyday he'd become hopelessly bored and two, he liked it. He liked helping Wess out with the books. He liked giving people suggestions when they asked him. He liked teaching little kids how to read difficult words. He and this library had a connection. "But you don't have to pay me; I don't really need the money anymore."

Wess crossed his arms where he sat. "Hah! Like I'd just not pay you," he scoffed, almost offended by the thought. "Not only is that illegal, it's not right! I'll pay you what you earn through your work, just like I always have. Just because your brother's in the army now doesn't mean you're going to be set for the rest of your life, you know."

This jolted Lucas a bit, reminding him of a bit of reality he liked to try and forget; they weren't going to be together forever. There would come a day when Claus would leave him, to start his own life afresh. In some ways it felt like Claus already had, seeing as how he was off serving in the army just for an admittedly nice chunk of DP at the end of the month. But Lucas also knew his twin had done so for him, for them, for their own good. At least, he was pretty sure. "I...guess you're right."

"Of course I am. The army doesn't automatically ensure your welfare for the rest of your life, y'know. Tried to tell my son Duster that too, but did he listen to me? Course not. Instead of becomin' a thief like his dad, he goes off to the army. Rebellious little moron," Wess ranted, expression narrowed at the thought of his son.

Lucas fought the urge to laugh; amusingly enough, the one thing that could really piss Wess off was the thought of his son, Duster. He'd never met the man, but this Duster was apparently the biggest moron ever, unable to prove to his father that he could be a legitimate thief. Lucas wasn't quite sure why Wess, a former thief, was now the manager of a library of all things, but that was beside the point. "I see."

A middle-aged woman came up behind Wess, holding in her hands a couple of rather thick books. "Excuse me," she said in an effort to grab his attention. "Could I get these to go, sir?"

Wess sagged a bit in his chair to look back at her, a hospitable smile on his face. "Of course, milady. Just a moment," he obliged her, taking his time to stand up properly, chuckling at the multiple pops his back made. "Might not be as spry as I used to be, but this old man is secretly a book-checkin' speed demon!"

Lucas just laughed at his lameness, standing up himself with much less difficulty even with his temporary handicap. "He might not look like it, but he's serious. Sorry for keeping you, Wess. I'll get out of your hair now."

Wess looked back to wink at him. "It's all good, sonny," he assured. "Just come in when you get that cast of yours off, and work to make up for it!"

Lucas nodded his head in understanding, making his way back to the library's entrance. "Will do, sir!" he answered with a wave, walking away to leave the man to his work.

The air tickled his nose as he stepped back out into the square, the breeze having picked up a bit since his last outdoor excursion about ten minutes prior. The square had a few more people in it now, and more automobiles could be seen _VROOM_ing around. Lucas yawned; the lack of sleep last night was taking its toll now. With nothing else of absolute importance to do at the moment, the blonde decided to head back to the Yado and take a nap, maybe take a shower or something before hand.

On the way back, Lucas had to wait for a minute at a crosswalk for the light to change so he could cross the street without being hit by any hurrying automobiles. As he counted down the seconds, something he saw out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Glancing over, he saw a frog sitting on the sidewalk, about as big as a baseball and greener than the trees in the Sunshine Forest. It hopped once he made eye contact with it, it's beady black eyes shining in the morning light.

**Hello there.**

Lucas blinked once, twice, three times. Then he looked around himself, wondering who could've said that. But there was no one within his ear shot, save for the..._no, no way. That's a frog, Lucas. Frogs can't talk._

**Oh, yes they can.**

Lucas jumped, gaze whirling back to the frog that sat beside him. It looked at him just as it had been before, and it hopped again; this time, a bit shorter of a hop. **All animals can talk. Humans just can't hear us.** There was a pause, in which Lucas' eyes threatened to bulge out of his head and the frog blinked. **But you're different. You're special**.

Lucas stared at the frog for a moment before he shook his head fervently, so much so that he got dizzy. _No. No no no no no. This isn't happening. That frog is definitely not talking to you_.

**This frog is not only talking to you, it's telling you something important.** The frog hopped once again. **You're special, human. If you can hear us, then that means—**

But Lucas was long gone, racing away when the road was clear as fast as his crutches would carry him.

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod that just happened. That seriously just happened. Frogs. I can talk to frogs!_ Lucas was rightfully astounded at the discovery; his mind was hyperventilating, unable to comprehend how or why or when. Fellow pedestrians were the last things on his mind as he scurried away, towards his place of residence, a sanctuary where he could escape from all this confusing crap going on. Now he was becoming seriously worried about himself.

_I'm going crazy._

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Poor Luke, going crazy. I'd feel the same way if I were him.**_

I hope you enjoyed this...FILLER NONSENSE. God. I suck. Next chapter will almost certainly contain plot. But does anyone really care about the Shinra'ta anyway? Guess that's my fault for not fleshing them out, but there'll be time for that later.

*So, DP amounts. I don't know off-hand what they were in-game, so I kinda just made up my own thing. Generally speaking, 3 DP = 1 USD. Or something. It's a bit complicated, but whatever.

Oh man, you don't know how bad I flipped out when aI thought I'd accidentally deleted the reference file for this fic (y'know, the place where I keep the plot outline, character descriptions, things of importance pertaining to places and other things, etc). I nearly cried. Thank God I had a back up of it in my e-mail, otherwise I might've just given up on this entirely (since I don't have the plot memorized per se;;)!

So, in case you haven't noticed by now, the whole 'one chapter it's Lucas' PoV and the next it's Claus' PoV' is gonna be a running theme from now on, at least for a while. Just thought I'd say that. Hopefully it's not annoying. I wonder which people prefer? I dunno which one I like better, honestly. And by the way, Lucas' chapters'll get less filler-y as time goes on -coughchaptereighteencough-

Also, I went ahead and revamped the first two chapters a little. I began thinking I was gonna change a bunch of stuff, but...it ended up being mostly just error correcting. There wasn't much to change; they weren't as bad as I thought they were, which is a good thing, I guess. Just thought I'd letcha know.

But there is one thing I'd like to ask. Do you think these chapters, or more like my writing in this fic in general, is to...uh...rambly? Unnecessarily long? Just wondering, because sometimes I think it goes a bit overboard myself, but cutting it down would just ruin the flow. I think. -blinks- bug yeah. If you think it is (or isnt, even), lemme know. Please.

Leave a review if you'd like, telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Pretty please? I luff dem.

Thanks for reading, and for sticking with this fic for as long as you have (or for anyone new, welcome aboard! If anyone new is even interested, haha...)! Let's hope the next update come a bit faster~. C:

Holy shit, longest A/N in existence. If you skipped it, I wouldn't blame you. ._.;  



	15. XV Operation: Location

_**A/N: Thank you for thy reviews, my lovelies. Malus and Geoff. You guys rule.**_

DISCLAIMER: Circumstances haven't changed since last chapter. I don't own.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

Claus threw the book away from himself, letting it flop onto his bed a few feet away rather unceremoniously. "Screw this book. It sucks!"

The redhead had been trying to write a report on the recent incident at Teakley, a town to Tazmily's northeast (or New Pork's southeast), where he'd been ordered to take a group of fifteen squadron A soldiers along with himself to one, investigate the kidnapping of livestock and two, check for any signs or rebel activity in the area. One thing lead to another, and the two items just so happened to have been interrelated; a night watch group spotted suspicious activity the following night, and as a result got into a little skirmish with a couple of Shinra'ta. Claus had tried to take them hostage, but again they used those cleverly hidden pills to cleanly commit suicide. But seeing as how the mystery had been solved, the group had been hailed as heroes once again (thank goodness Claus managed to evade too much recognition). It had been a learning experience for Claus, to say the least; directly commanding people far older than him was quite trippy.

But Claus had never been the best at writing formally like this. Well, truthfully speaking, he'd never really had to, what with his lack of a formal education. Over the hour and a half he'd been trying, he'd managed to give himself a headache, so he thought winding down with a book would help some. So he'd hesitantly picked up Frankenstein, the book Lucas had recommended he finish. He really had made an honest effort to plow through, but man, was it _bleh_. The book was jumpy and hinted towards things rather than flat out stating them. Plus, he couldn't understand half the words this Mary Shelly chick used. Wind down? Hah! Claus now felt like he needed a power nap from all the brain power he'd wasted struggling to comprehend the nonsense.

Sighing, he leaned back in the chair he sat in, running his hand through his unruly red locks. He had on a long-sleeve black undershirt and his orange cargo pants, with socks on his feet; he hadn't needed to do much that day, besides the report, so he figured he'd be safe if he chose to take of his fur-lined jacket for the moment. _Seriously. I'd rather read one of my strategy books._

It may have sounded strange to one who knew Claus well enough, but he had been reading quit a bit lately; books about war and strategy and how to properly command people and things of the sort. He was a commander now, his obvious lack of experience notwithstanding, so he owed it to himself and those he led to learn as much as he could about the subject. And he'd actually retained a bunch of the information, so he could put in his two cents whenever he was summoned into any kind of strategic planning session, as was required of all squadron leaders. War required thinking and planning after all. Who would have known?

Finally Claus just stood up, pushing his rolling chair back and stretching himself out fully. Deciding he would resume his work on the report later, he flopped onto the bed himself face-first. Writing made him think about Lucas. He wondered how the blonde was getting along. He should have had his crutches off by now, right? It had been more than a month since the incident in Tazmily. Claus also wondered where the blonde's reply was; it had been almost a week since Claus sent him his own letter. Dammit, he wanted to go home and see him. But General Assface (Fassad) wouldn't even give him a damn day. He knew it made sense, but it still irritated him.

Claus rolled over so that he lay on his back, staring up at the stainless steel ceiling and the one light that was situated in the middle of it, illuminating everything with a fluorescent glow. He raised his left arm, the good arm, and glanced at his wrist; his watch told him it was almost three in the afternoon, about time for lunch (a bit late, actually, but he didn't much care). He figured going down to the cafeteria for some grub wasn't the worst idea in the world. The first few days of trying to eat in there after his little injury were awkward indeed; everyone had kept staring at him and his arm. But now it wasn't much of a problem, since everyone was more or less used to their new fifteen year old, one-armed commander.

But before he could take action and hop back up to go and do this, he heard a loud buzzing coming from his bedside table, where his lamp was shaking where it sat. Claus gave it a better look when he rolled his head to the side, and found that his army-issued cellular device was the perpetrator, lighting up and vibrating an alerting him to the fact that he had a call waiting for him. Rolling off the side of his bed and onto his feet, he grabbed the thing and flipped it open, pressing the green 'talk' button. He cleared his throat a bit. "Commander Itoi speaking," he said, as Fassad had instructed him to do.

"Hello, Claus," a voice said, deep and slightly nasally; Claus recognized it as—speak of the devil—Fassad's. "Apologies for bugging you so unexpectedly, but we have a bit of a situation on our hands. Report to the special meeting room immediately."

Claus rubbed his face in the crook of his other arm, shivering when cold metal, the of the edge of his cannon arm, touched his face. Another stupid meeting, how nice. "Understood. I'll be there soon," he replied, nodding his head though the man couldn't see it. He pressed the 'end' button and flipped it back to its closed state, sighing as he stuffed it into one of his many pockets. Most of these meetings were about—you guessed it—the Shinra'ta, and what they, the army, should do about them. But they'd debated the hell out of the topic already just a couple of days ago. Claus wondered why he was being summoned again. Maybe something had happened?

Shrugging the thought off for the moment, Claus grabbed the jacket he'd shrugged off and onto the chair on the other side of his bed, pulling it back onto his shoulders as he located his black boots by the door. That commander outfit of his could get hot at times, especially on sunny days (Claus resented those days on which he'd have to venture outside in the heat), but he couldn't deny the subtle 'cool' factor he felt he had when he wore them. They made him more confident, and he was pretty sure the uniform helped intimidate people, cannon arm aside. Sliding socked feet into his shin high boots, he zipped up his jacket, adjusted the fur so that it wasn't stuck inside the collar, and tucked the material around his right arm's mechanism. Giving his hair a last little run through, he pushed a button to open his room's door and left without a second thought.

The halls were as empty as they usually were. The occasional pigmask walked by here and there, saluting him as they passed, but nothing out of the ordinary went on. Claus had come to learn that this was a good thing; back in Tazmily, he'd used to wish something interesting, be it good or bad, happen when he was smaller. Now he realized how selfish and naïve of a notion that was. He didn't have to wait very long for the elevator to come down to his level when he pressed the button, and was happy to find that specific lift empty save for himself as he pressed the 'G' button and waited for the stomach butterflies associated with lifting off to tickle him.

Stepping off the thing a minute or so later, he began walking that path he'd memorized five times over already; the path to the super important squad leader meeting room of security and defense. Well, that was the name Claus had bestowed upon it, anyway. It was located in the 'important' part of the facility—the part where you had to have valid identification as a Major or higher to enter. He'd been there numerous times now, yes, but this was the first time he'd been ordered to come 'immediately'. Normally it was some kind of time, like five o'clock or seven thirty. It made him wonder again...what if something had happened? What if something had happened to Tazmily? What if his brother had been caught up in this something? Claus found his pace quickening despite himself, suddenly worried. Was it bad of him to only become so worried if it was Tazmily? Surely not; anyone would feel a heightened sense of anxiety if anything malevolent happened to one's hometown.

Within three minutes' time he'd made his way tot he other side of the floor. Standing in front of a big mechanical door that barred his path, his left hand found the keypad next to it and typed in the passcode, his own personal passcode, with little trouble—1946467. The door made a loud and echoing _KACHICK_ sound as it unlocked itself, detaching from the wall and swinging open automatically to allow him entry. Claus stepped in over the threshold and power-walked his way down the now-slightly more narrow hallway, to the very end where another (this time more normal-looking) door awaited him. A middle-aged woman dressed in a formal button up shirt and stiff khaki skirt greeted him with a smile. Though she knew exactly who she was, as they had met many times before (she was the head secretary, and as such was trusted with such a job), she still asked him the question of the hour: "Hello there. May I see your identification, sir?"

Claus smiled back at her politely. "Yes, ma'am," he nodded, shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out his army ID, holding it up to her for approval. She nodded her head, the brown hair that was pulled back into a bun not even threatening to move an inch. "Thank you, Commander," she said, crossing something (presumably his name) off on her clipboard and stepping aside to allow him entry.

"Thank you," he echoed, giving her one last nod before he pressed the button and headed inside, the door sliding shut behind him.

The room was big, big enough to house a sleek and long black table large enough to seat at least fourteen people. This table was already occupied on the far end, by four other people. The walls were the same dull pink color found throughout the Pigmask Army's Main Headquarters, and the floor was comprised of marble-esque tiles that shined a bit in the light given off by the sconces that surrounded the room, stuck up on the wall every few feet above their heads. A few leafy green plants sat in each corner to give the place a well needed splash of lively color, but other than that, the room was pretty bland. In Claus' humble opinion, at least. The boy made his way across the room, doing his best to ignore the stares being given to him by the room's other occupants, and sat in the chair closest to the head of the table. The chairs had leather backs that stuck to his jacket a bit uncomfortably. He peered around the table cautiously, rather wary of two certain people present.

Fassad sat next to him, as the head of their big table. He was decked out in his usual strange and foreign-looking outfit, with the light brown undergarments and shirt, darker brown vest and pants, and brown head wrap of his. Claus had often wondered if that was the General uniform, but it hardly looked like a uniform, what with the lack of the Pigmask insignia and all. He currently sat hunched over, chin resting atop intertwined fingers, looking rather troubled.

Brigadier General Ike Thompson sat next to him as the Squadron B leader, short dark hair framing his face sufficiently. He looked pretty neutral about the whole thing, with that seemingly omnipresent scowl of his intact on his young-yet-older-than-Claus-by-at-least-eight-years face.

Directly across from Claus sat a tall blonde woman, whom probably had the capacity to be very attractive if she would just ditch that constant fiercely-aggravated-with-everything disposition of hers. She was always frowning, just like Ike, but unlike the latter, she always had this look of pure disapproval and irritation in her blue eyes that would put Ike to shame any day. The uniform she wore was reminiscent of Kumatora's, with all the straps and buckles and buttons, though her's wasn't a dress; it was a classic men's style of clothing, dark blue material sticking to her tighter than it would a man and accentuating her admittedly fairly large breasts. Her name was Alexis Armstrong, and she was the Squadron C leader. Claus felt sorry for those stuck under her authority; every time he'd ever attempted to talk to her, be it debating or just a "Hey, how're you doing?" in the hallway as they just so happened to pass one another, she would chew him out for something: "Don't be so informal!" or "Don't you have work to do?" or maybe "Fix your uniform! It looks like a brain-dead monkey dressed you!" And it wasn't just him; she was like that with everyone, even her assistant squad leader. It made him wonder what her childhood had been like. Maybe her parents had taught that to her, or she'd lost them at an early age and been sent to live with an abusive uncle? Or maybe she was just like that. Claus just hoped she didn't have any kids.

To her left sat a man, tall and with a long dark ponytail flowing from behind him. He wore glasses over his small dark eyes and a not-so-slight frown on his face, ranking him at number three on the how-pissed-off-everyone-in-this-room-looks-on-a-daily-basis list. He was the palest of the five, with thin arms resting on the table almost haphazardly as he gazed at the other four surrounding him, Claus included. His gaze was what put him off; cold, calculating eyes sent minute shivers down his spine, giving Claus the feeling the man could see his deepest, darkest secrets with one glance. This man was Jin Suguro, the Squadron D leader. He was quiet most of the time, listening infinitely more than he talked (quite the opposite of Armstrong in that respect), but he wasn't afraid to speak his mind when prompted. He came up with brilliant theories, but they didn't usually work out too well (or at all) in the end; they required too much loss of civilian or troop life in the process, something with which Fassad and Claus were just not okay with. Claus was willing to bet he was ruthless out in the field, undaunted by such a trivial thing as death. Perhaps he'd had experiences with death before, either himself of that of family members, and that was why he disregarded life as unimportant in the long run.

"Alright then," Fassad finally spoke, dragging Claus away from his mind's wandering. "Now that we're all here, I suppose we should get this started."

Alexis snorted, but said nothing. Jin merely looked at him. Ike tilted his head to get a better look at the General and Claus nodded in agreement, crossing his arms (a bit awkwardly due to his cannon arm).

"Right." He paused here, taking a breath as though he had something to say that would upset people. "Well, early this morning, Port Duckett was attacked."

Claus' arms loosened. "What?" he asked, never thrilled when it came to these kinds of things. He wasn't alone, however; Alexis had slammed hands down onto the table's smooth surface, leaning forward slightly and said exactly what Claus had. Ike's attention had snapped and he gave Fassad a serious look. The only one who looked unaffected was Jin.

Fassad only nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid it's true. Since you and your men were there, Jin, why don't you fill everyone in on the details?"

The pale man nodded. "Yes, sir." He rested one hand on top of the other on the table in front of him. "At about five o'clock this morning, our own forces were over taken by rouge Shinra'ta mercenaries. We were admittedly unprepared to handle the attack, and as such the fighting had a chance to spread further into the town than we would have liked—"

"And why weren't we informed of this then, when we could have done something about it?" Alexis rose from her chair in fury, barking down at the cold man harshly. "Why wait until now, three in the goddamn afternoon?"

Jin pushed his glasses back up his nose with his middle finger. "Because we'd had it under control once we rallied ourselves together. Had we been prepared, the measly force sent after us would have been annihilated near instantaneously."

The blonde was not satisfied with this response. "Oh yeah? You think that amounts to anything in the real world, in a real fight? 'If I had been ready...' God, shut your mouth! A good leader is ready no matter what. That's basic. Do you even _know_ how many lives have been lost now purely because of your own incompetence?"

Fassad raised his hands. "Now, now, no need to lose our cool just yet," he said, and though his voice was primarily lightly reprimanding it had such a commanding undertone that even Alexis was prompted to sit back down, though she did so with a loud scoff. "Now then, Jin. Continue?"

Jin nodded. "Sir. As I was saying," he gave Alexis a sideways glance here, and Claus could practically hear the omitted _before I was so rudely interrupted_, "the damage done was minimal, but there were quite a few fatalities."

Ike spoke here for the first time. "How many, exactly?"

Jin met the younger leader's gaze. "We're not entirely certain yet, but it totals at least sixty as of right now."

Ike's eyes narrowed at this, but he said nothing. Alexis looked like she really wanted to punch something, preferably Jin's thin face, but she held herself back by simply squeezing her hands together noticeably. Claus took a shaky breath. All those people who'd survived, or even watched the Shinra'ta take their family members' and friends' lives... "What were they trying to do?" the redhead suddenly asked, voice composed for the most part, though it was still a bit shaky. "Just kill off civilians? Trying to take over the territory? Both?"

Jin's eyes flicked over to him. "Again, we're not sure," he replied, like this was a stupid question. "One can never be sure with these goons. But since there weren't many of them, odds are they weren't aiming for anything of true significance."

Claus lowered his gaze, nodding minutely. "I see."

"What about the public?" Alexis demanded from where she sat, arms crossed below her breasts. "Does anyone besides what remains of Port Duckett know about Suguro's failure?"

Jin looked at her sharply. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't blow things out of proportion, Alexis," he said cooly. "We've asked those at Port Duckett to refrain from publicizing this for the moment."

Ike rubbed his face with a hand. "Geez."

Claus gave them all a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean, keep it from being publicized?" he asked. And no, it didn't have anything to do with a limited vocabulary, thank you. "Wouldn't it be better if everyone did know? So they can prep up and be careful?"

All four others present shook their heads, Alexis' the most profound. "Think with your head for a change, would you, Itoi? That's why it's there. What do you think would happen if the people found out about this, hmm? Don't you think they'd develop a slight, oh, I dunno, distrust in our protection? In the army? In Porky? The last thing we need is another rebellion, from inside our own damn nation, no less," she retorted, effectively shutting the redhead up for a few moments.

"When God bleeds, people will cease to believe," Ike quoted darkly, running a hand through his hair.

"Too much failure in too short a period of time isn't a recipe for success, you see," Fassad mused, tapping a few fingers on the table.

Claus frowned but said nothing. If he was honest with himself, it sounded more like a pride thing that they were trying to keep intact than anything. But he had to admit that they had a semi-valid point; the last thing they needed were people getting scared and rebellious on them. They had enough to deal with trying to keep the Shinra'ta at bay. Was it really better to monitor what the news is allowed to print, though? They're citizens of the Pork Nation, weren't they? Didn't they have a right to know?

"And there are reinforcements down there right now, handing out supplies to those who need them and keeping watch just in case more come to try and finish the job." Jin pushed his glasses up again. "The situation is taken care of for the moment."

"Right. So then, we move on to more pressing matters..." Fassad trailed off, leaning back in his chair to face everyone else at more of an eye level. "The Shinra'ta themselves."

"The bastards," Alexis grumbled, looking ready to spit on something at the mere mention of the term.

"This can't keep going on..." Ike said, closing his eyes. "At this rate, they're going to do something really drastic. I don't know about you all, but I don't want to have to find out what kind of drastic that will be."

"There just isn't any decent way we can gather intel regarding them," Jin sighed, shaking his head. "Anyone we can get our hands on as hostages use those cyanide pills to kill themselves and it's not as if anyone has been there, to their territory, and come back alive." He paused. "In fact, no one has been there, at least of our knowledge. To the northeast of New Pork...there's a bunch of forestry next to Mount Chimney that's under Shinra'ta guard. There's just not a viable way of getting past their defenses." Another pause. "Using your methods, anyway," he frowned, opening a single eye. "If we sacrificed a dozen or so men, we could—"

"Stop it, Jin," Fassad waved him silent with an authoritative voice. "You know damn good and well we won't knowingly send people into battle for the sole purpose of dying."

Jin closed his eye once again. "Indeed."

"No one's ever been inside this forest area of theirs?" Claus asked, this being the first time he'd really heard of it. "Not even once?"

"Define 'having been inside it,'" Ike replied, his tone rather monotone.

"Getting inside isn't too difficult," Fassad answered. "But there's a circle, a very wide range of area we cannot examine because of the guard they've got erected. It's their home turf, and as such we're at a disadvantage if we go charging in there; we don't know the terrain like they do. The best idea is to keep wearing away at their forces until we've swindled them down to a manageable amount."

"That idea's trashed if they stop coming at us, Fassad," Alexis reminded him, brushing a few locks of blonde hair out of her face to better reveal an unamused expression. "Let's not forget that they're pretty crafty when it comes to combat. Just defending against them with double the men they have is more challenging than it should be."

"Then lay into them with our firearms."

Alexis turned to Jin, whom had just spoken, with a scowl (well, more of one than normal, anyway). "That's not at all chivalrous!"

"The age of chivalry is long gone, Alexis," Ike defended the fellow leader. "I agree; we've been forgiving and even quite generous with offers of peace and second chances. If they don't plan on backing down, then neither will we."

The only blonde present deadpanned. "Alright, smartasses. How do you suppose we mow them down, then? Split up all our forces evenly between the cities and towns and wait for them to show up? Or, even better, leave ourselves completely undefended and charge right into their territory?"

Claus, who had been up until this point thinking to himself, now spoke. "We find it." He looked up. "We find their headquarters." It was such a simple solution; why couldn't they see it?

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "The hell are you going on about, Itoi?"

Claus placed his left arm on the table, emphasizing himself with his hand. "Think about it! We take a map maker in there with us and scout the place out as much as we can while making our way back to the final destination: their headquarters. Maybe even video record the trip, too. But we'd have to be real sneaky. We would have two parties, though, maybe even three, to make sure that if one of us does get caught or anything, another group would be able to keep going. Or two could serve as decoys as the other makes its way around. We could have a couple of stations just outside the forest area standing by in case we need serious help. Once we find the headquarters, we can send up a flare, so we can see where it is in relation to the top of the forest. And then..."

"Then we can bomb them," Ike finished for him, catching on to Claus' little scheme.

Claus lowered his head. "Something like that, yeah." He would still have preferred a chance to kick some ass himself on behalf of Tazmily, but wiping the vast majority out in one shot was a good plan too.

Jin frowned. "And my plan was too cruel?"

Alexis ignored him. "That...just might be crazy enough to work. But what if one of the groups is caught and taken hostage?"

Claus shrugged. "Even better for us. Well, if they could fight their way out..." he snapped his fingers. "I know! I could get captured on purpose and break out!"

Fassad shot him a serious gaze. "Absolutely not," he vetoed. "You're too valuable an asset to just gamble away like that. Are you really that confident in your PSI, anyway? You're not invincible, Claus. If you were, we would have won them over a long time ago." He paused a moment, stroking his black facial hair. "And while I'm at it, how would you play a part in all this, anyway? You haven't forgotten that the Shinra'ta know where you are at all times, have you?"

Claus' eye twitched a bit. "No, General, I haven't," he assured through gritted teeth. "I was thinking I could lead one of the decoy groups. Since they know where I am no matter what I do, why not let them think I was stupid enough to come charging in by myself? It might buy everyone else more time."

Fassad _hmm_'d. "I see. Not bad."

Ike leaned toward Fassad. "You don't think that they wouldn't find that at least a bit suspicious?"

The man shrugged. "They may, but they'll be at least unprepared for it, as we've never attempted anything of the sort before. We'll only have one real shot, to be sure. After that, the element of surprise is lost."

"We'll use their own tactic against them," Jin murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.

"I don't know if this is the best of ideas..." Ike trailed off, leaning back into his own leather-backed chair.

"We're running out of options, Thompson," Alexis addressed him directly. "It might not be completely ideal, but it's the best offensive strategy we've got right now." She turned go Fassad. "I say yea."

The General nodded before half-smiling. "Alright then. Everyone else, yea or nay?"

Claus nodded his head, surprised at how well his idea had been received. "Yea."

Ike sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "If you think so, yea."

Jin merely nodded his head.

"Then it's settled. We're going with Claus' suggestion. Operation: Location. As for who's going go carry this out..." Fassad glanced over to Alexis. "Alexis, I want you and Claus to team up on this. You two can decide amongst yourselves who brings the entire squadron; we don't need both of them away."

Alexis didn't look too pleased. "Sir," she nodded, glancing at Claus. The redhead held her gaze, returning it with a serious expression of his own; he would not let her intimidate him. Too much, anyway.

"That's all well and good, but what about everyone else?" Ike piped up once again, addressing Fassad with his query. "We've still gotta defend against them, in case they come back again, which is pretty much guaranteed. How do we prevent something like this from happening again?"

Fassad took his question into account. "Hmm. Doing as we have been up until this point? Jin's situation occurred simply because of a lack of readiness. If we reinforce protocol and perhaps up the number of troops sent out at a time, I'm sure a repeat of the incident can be avoided."

"But what if there are more? More than usual, I mean? And even then, they could decide to move on to a different town entirely and attack there instead. There's got to be something better," Ike digressed, looking towards the ceiling like some kind of inspiration would fall from it and to him.

Claus coughed. "I guess there's no way we could just split up the forces between all the cities, right?" he offered, unsure of the wisest course of action.

Jin's glasses glinted. "Sure there is. But it wouldn't really be worth it in the long run; by the time you get a bare minimum of soldiers to each of the cities and towns, we're only left with maybe a single squadron at most."

Alexis tapped her chin. "Y'know, my co-leader has been using his spare time to work on a little theory of his, regarding the Shinra'ta and their seemingly random attacks," she thought aloud, turning around to look at a map behind her. "Yes. See, the Shinra'ta first began attacking at Sirena Bay, to the rightmost of the island. Then they went to the settlement at Saturn Valley, and thought they had the balls to challenge us directly here at New Pork; we lost quite a few troops that day, but we killed every last one of those who'd been sent. After that they went to Tazmily, Getts, Teakley and now Port Duckett," she finished, finger crossing off towns in her head as she said them aloud. "They've now attacked most of the major places under our control, and don't forget to notice how, with the exception of Getts, the attacks conveniently slide from the right to the left. The only place that hasn't been assaulted yet is—"

"Peipom," the four males surrounding her finished for her in near unison.

She whipped her head around to face them. "Hey! I was getting to that. Don't interrupt!" she chided. "Anyway, there's a good chance that's where they'll strike next. I don't think they'll go as far as to cross the sea just to take on those hippies living on Tanetane."

"I see. An excellent observation, Miss Armstrong," Fassad smiled at her. "Thank you and your lieutenant for the explanation. I believe it would be wise to send troops that way as soon as possible. Ike, if you would be so kind?"

Ike nodded. "Sir. A couple score?"

Fassad stroked his black mustache. "I think thirty-five should do it."

Ike nodded in response once again.

The General clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! I believe that does it for this meeting," he concluded, rubbing his stomach. "I'm feeling a bit munchy." He pointed to Claus. "I expect this plan of yours to be operational within the next seven days, understood? Once you and Alexis sort out the details, let me know."

Claus shook his head once in the affirmative, confidently. This was his idea. His plan. And he had the okay to go through with it. There was no way in _hell_ he would let Alexis or anyone else screw this up for him. The Shinra'ta had it coming now. "Sir."

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Lol. Is Frankenstein going to become some kind of recurring thing now? No offense to the book, of course. I thought it was good.**_

Holy mother of Jesus, guys, this must be some kind of new record or something. How many days has it been since the last chapter? Six? I can't believe I wrote this this fast. Probably would have been even faster if I hadn't had a mini-vacation a couple days ago.

Sorry for the sudden stop. I didn't want to drag this chapter on any more than I needed to.

And so begins the "Second Series of Shinra'ta Shenanigans" arc. Not sure how long it will last, but for sure through chapter nineteen or so. Maybe longer. Who knows? All I know is I'm looking forward to it, even the very next chapter (you guys are gonna love it hahah! But before your hopes skyrocket, no, no reuniting twins)!

And y'know what? I hate it when people put OCs into stories. But all of the Shinra'ta is OC. And half the cast are OCs. Does this make me a damn hypocrite? T-they're not extremely important, though! The characters, anyway! And and and, I'm trying to make the Shinra'ta believable and somewhat interesting! Am I doing okay? Oh dear God I hope so. But I guess stuff like this is kinda unavoidable when writing an AU fic. -shrug-

But let me stop rambling. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. They motivate me, y'know! They also let me know you care~ :'D

To be definitely continued sometime in the future. C:


	16. XVI Unexpected Visitor?

_**A/N: OHMYGOD. I'm the worst, okay? I know. I'm sorry. Hopefully you're looking forward to this chapter. It's only been THREE MONTHS. Christ, at this rate, I'll never finish this fic. Ever. But goddamn it all, I will try. -puts on shades-**_

DISCLAIMER: ERROR. NOTHING CONTAINED IN OUR SERVER INDICATES THAT USER LUKEPRISM OWNS ANY OF THE MOTHER/EARTHBOUND FRANCHISE.

—**s—t—a—r—t—****c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—t**—****e**—r**—**

"Woohoo!"

The chilly morning air did nothing to hamper Lucas' mood. If fact, if anything, it helped add that much more exhilaration to the swirling mix of good emotions in his chest, landing him in a great mood on all accounts.

Barely anyone was out at this time of morning, so Lucas barely had to pay mind to dodging living obstacles as he sprinted down the sidewalk, arms held out beside him, looking for all the world like a little kid who'd been promised ten toys and a lifetime's supply of candy for Christmas. Today had been the big day, the day he got his leg cast taken off, and as such had come as soon as possible to the clinic to have it removed. The doctor had advised him to be careful, but he couldn't help himself; he skipped and he jumped and he ran backwards and relished in his freedom of movement. Lucas would never, ever take the ability to walk and use both hands at the same time for granted ever again.

Eventually though the blonde came to slow down to an acceptable pace, having already exerted most of his strength. He wasn't quite in shape, but then again he never had been to begin with. But the giddiness still remained. _God_, it felt great to have all his appendages attached and working! He wasn't sure how to go about channeling the rest of his excitement, but decided to go back to the inn to await the continental breakfast before doing anything else. Nodding to himself, he continued down the path he'd already been taking.

It was almost enough to make him forget about his new...power, or whatever it actually was. Almost. Lucas found himself thinking about it again, on his way back, and had been doing it a lot lately, since he'd discovered said power a couple days back. What was it? Why did it break things? Could he control it? He hadn't called it back since, afraid of what he might do this time around. And that strange instance with the talking frog. Could he read minds or something? If he was honest with himself, he had tried to do it once, to a lady he'd seen loitering in the lobby of the Yado Inn. But it hadn't worked one bit, and the lady had caught him staring and he'd looked away, feeling embarrassed. He didn't understand. Was he doing it wrong? What if his mind had only been playing tricks on him before? Lucas was hopelessly confused by the whole topic.

He shook his head to clear his befuddled thoughts. Puzzling over it now wouldn't solve anything. Just ignore it, put it off, and it'll get better on it's own. Then again, he'd done that with a few other things, too, and look at how they'd turned out...

Sighing, he pushed the big glass door to the Yado open, not even appreciating the fact that he could open it for himself breezily now with his crutches gone. He needed to stop thinking about things like that. It had managed to dampen his mood a bit. He walked slower now, at a more relaxed pace. _Just take a deep breath and think about nothing...there. See? Much better._

When he passed the main desk, its occupant, the nearly skin-headed Jackie, looked up and greeted him. "Ah, Lucas. Good morning." He then grinned a bit, showing off a gold tooth quite clearly. "You have a visitor," he informed rather mischievously.

Lucas just stared at him for a moment, like he hadn't understood what had been said. "Visitor...? I don't think I was expecting anyone..." he trailed off, before his brain immediately projected into his conscious the best possible scenario and made the corners of his mouth twitch up into a goofy smile. He nodded quickly and all but raced off down the hall, blinded by his sudden fantasy.

_Oh my God. It's him, isn't it? He's come to surprise me with a surprise visit and I'll get to see him, actually see him and it'll be great and I'll be able to touch him and hear him and smell him and and and—_

He threw his door open haphazardly, holding himself awkwardly and panting with eyes wide, scanning for his red headed twin all around. However, it was not the harsh hue of his brother's hair that he found. No, what he found were softer colors; purple and pink and green.

The purple belonged to h...h..._its_ hair, quite short, like a man's, and the facial hair surrounding its mouth. The green could be found on its dress, bright and made of a soft, silky-looking material and just a little too short for Lucas' own comfort. The pink belonged to its eyeshadow and bright lipstick and blush dusted across bony, masculine cheeks. Eyes half-lidded and amused, it smiled at him almost fondly from the bed, where it sat with legs crossed and a hand resting on its own cheek. "Hello," it said, in a kind of masculine voice but in a feminine kind of way.

Lucas blinked a few times. "H-hello?" he replied hesitantly. He was fairly sure he'd never seen this person before in his life...so what on earth were they doing in his room of all places? Then again, Jackie had trusted them enough to allow them in, so they couldn't have been all that bad.

It stood up now, approaching him slowly. Lucas was unsure of whether or not to close the door, so he settled for swallowing a little nervously. "My, it's been a while," it giggled, reaching up to touch his head. "Did you dye your hair? It looks natural~."

Lucas was a bit confused. "Dye? Th-this _is_ natural," he corrected, shying away from its touch and stepping to the side. "Who are you?"

It looked shocked and then saddened by this, green eyes drooping. "Oh, that's harsh, dear," it lamented, pulling its arm back. "Acting as if you don't know me."

The blonde narrowed his eyes at the intruder. "Because I don't," he insisted, straightening up. He was a several inches shorter than the other even on his toes. "I've never seen you before in my life."

Something flashed in its eyes for a moment. "Is that so? Hm." It looked thoughtful. "Alright then. Pardon me for my sudden intrusion. What is your name?"

Lucas frowned. "I asked you first."

The other laughed, kind of deep and yet light. "That's true. Okay. My name is Ionia. I'm a lovely creature, wouldn't you agree?" It giggled again, and Lucas decided he'd refer to it as a she from then on. "A Magypsy."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. He vaguely remembered the term 'Magyspy' from a fairy-tale book he'd read when he was little. As such, he was quite doubtful she was anything other than a flamboyant crossdresser. But arguing with her probably wouldn't get either of them anywhere, so he went along with it anyway. "Nice to meet you then, Ionia," he bowed slightly, politely, to get on her good side. "I'm Lucas."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness," she gasped, and Lucas wondered wearily what he'd done to get such a reaction. "You're little Clauseypoo's twin brother, then, aren't you?"

Lucas' own eyes widened then. "You know Claus?" he asked incredulously, deciphering the little pet name with ease. What could Claus possibly have to do with this person?

"Of course! It makes perfect sense after all, why I'd feel such power," she continued, ushering him inside before closing the door behind him. "And upon closer inspection," she muttered, close to his ear, "you're cuter, too~."

Lucas jumped back, out of her hold. Having some tranny come on to him was not his idea of a good time. "Thanks, I guess. But how do you know Claus? And...power?" His breath had caught on the last word. Surely she didn't know what his shiny blue stuff was all about, right? It was just a coincidence. But part of him wanted to believe it, that she'd come to explain to him all of whatever he needed to know, what it meant and how to use it and what was going on. "What do you mean by that?"

Ionia's face took on a serious expression. "Oh, I think you know what I mean. You've already awakened yourself." She placed a hand on his forehead, and surprisingly enough Lucas _didn't_ want to slap her hand away immediately. It was cool and soft, soothing to the touch. "So much power...maybe even more than Claus," she whispered to herself more than him.

His eyes closed and he found himself confiding in her. "The shiny blue stuff," he murmured, figuring he had nothing to lose to someone as strange as he was. "Is that what you mean? I used it once. It broke my lamp."

There was a moment of silence before she laughed heartily at the recollection, and Lucas could hear the smile in her voice when she replied. "Is that so? Shiny blue stuff, ahahah. Dear child, I shall explain everything to you. All that you wish to know." She stepped away from him then, taking her hand with her, and gave him a once-over as Lucas opened his eyes again, blinking a few times. Her arm was still extended, held out to him with the palm of her hand to the ceiling. She gazed at him expectantly. "Well, then? Won't you join me?"

The blonde wasn't at all sure of that was a wise course of action. "What, are you going to offer me candy too?" he asked, his tone rather jocular despite the seriousness of Ionia's offer.

She looked taken aback for a moment, though she giggled at the joke all the same. "Now now, I mean you no harm, Lukeydear." Lucas sighed inwardly at the questionable pet name. "I want to keep you safe. I'm going to be blunt now. You're in danger."

Lucas' head tilted to the side a bit. "From what?"

Ionia beckoned him. "I can't tell you here. We must leave for Aeolia's immediately, and teach you all that we can."

Lucas sighed audibly now. It looked like this arguing was getting them nowhere. And Lucas was admittedly extremely curious as to what this Ionia had to say regarding his power. Maybe she was crazy, but then again, so was he. What was the harm? And if worst came to worst... Lucas flexed his fingers, giving his visitor a stern look. "Alright, fine. I'll go with you. But if you try anything funny, I'll...I'll call it back and use it, you hear me?" He wasn't afraid to use it if she got out of line.

The purple-haired person of questionable gender merely raised her other hand. "I swear on my own life that I wont touch a hair on your pretty little head." She then winked mischievously. "Unless you want me to~."

Lucas shook his head but reached back for the door handle. "Let's go then."

To his surprise and confusion he heard a laugh from her. "Oh, darling, we're not going through there."

Lucas just stared at her. "Then how do you propose we get out? Through the window?"

He then noticed her hand, which was still held out to him. She winked at him. "Trust in me, Lucas," she said, smiling serenely. "Let me show you what your shiny blue stuff is capable of doing."

"You're not going to break anything?"

Giggling. "Of course not."

Looked like he didn't have much of a choice then. Taking a deep breath, Lucas stepped forward and took Ionia's hand, not taking his eyes off her for the duration. "Okay."

She squeezed his hand almost comfortingly. "Thank you. I hope I don't disappoint," she laughed. Then, with a wink and a gasp, the two were engulfed in dozens of shimmering, transparent hexagons before they disappeared into thin air, leaving a few sparkles in their wake.

_-PK Teleport-_

The sensation of being pulled, twisted and manipulated beyond the confines of time and space completely threw the unprepared blonde for a loop. When they arrived at their destination only a few seconds later, Lucas fell to the ground, dizzy and unable to gain his bearings fast enough to keep himself upright. Pushing his torso from the ground with shaky arms, he spit out a few blades of grass and turned onto his back to look up at Ionia, who looked unaffected by their sudden transport. "Wha—_what in the world just happened?_" he gasped, turning his gaze to his surroundings. "And where are we?"

Ionia stretched her arms out behind her. "Aah, nothing like a PK Teleport to work the muscles. And we're at Aeolia's now, honey. Not as lovely as my own home, but nice enough." She giggled.

Lucas was paying more attention to the strange scenery before him. Cliffs surrounded them on all sides, but they were in a lush green meadow of sorts, the grass still wet with dew. A few flowers popped up here and there, and a frog hopped in place further away. The sky was almost a perfect blue color, still a bit light due to the earliness of the day. But the real eye-grabber lay in the center of the large pond in the center of said meadow. With a walkway made up of large, flat purple stepping stones was what appeared to be a huge purple seashell, spiraling up a good ways into a pointy tip and dotted with windows on either side. It was the strangest thing Lucas had seen in quite some time; besides his newfound companion, of course. "It's a seashell."

"A house that looks like a seashell, yes."

Ionia offered to help the boy to his feet, but Lucas managed on his own, rising from his knees to openly stare at the house with a cocked head. "Who would live here?"

Ionia began to approach it, and she motioned for Lucas to do the same. "If you'll follow, I'll show you," was her only reply. Lucas shrugged inwardly. He'd already come this far, hadn't he? Plus, she knew something about Claus. Even if it was only some vague encounter sometime prior, he wanted to know the connection. Claus had never mentioned an Ionia to him before.

So he hopped across the stepping stones and waited as Ionia performed a special knock that seemed way too complicated to be effective. Soon enough the door flew open and Ionia stepped right in. Lucas followed suit.

And promptly realized the answer to his last question.

At the head of the pink table sat someone perhaps even more gender confused than even Ionia. They had a big purple afro and facial hair, small, beady eyes and lips adorned with pink lipstick. Wearing a pink dress that rivaled Ionia's in length (or lack thereof, to Lucas' discomfort), they had crossed their legs, reducing what little length it'd had even further. Again Lucas had absolutely no idea what pronoun to use for them, but he assumed that this was the Aeolia Ionia had been going on about, and so he decided the term 'she' would be appropriate enough.

"Aeo!" Ionia called, waving a hand at her in an admittedly girly fashion. "You'll never guess what I found going for a stroll in Tazmily this morning!" Lucas narrowed his eyes a bit at his companion. He didn't exactly appreciate being referred to as a what, but Ionia dragged him nearer to her acquaintance without skipping a beat.

Aeolia uncrossed and recrossed her legs, causing Lucas to look away sharply for fear of seeing something he really had no desire to see. "Bringing home another little boy, are we?" she observed, and Lucas' hairs stood on end for a moment. "How naughty~."

Ionia chided her friend. "Now, Aeolia, don't. Look, you're scaring him!" She was referring to him, of course, as he'd suddenly gone a bit rigid in her grasp. "It's not a common occurrence, I assure you. Anyway, Aeo, this is Lucas. He's Clauseypoo's twin brother!"

Aeolia's otherwise calm eyes widened a fraction at this news. "Is that right?" she asked, now bothering to glance at him from head to toe, sizing him up. "Well, well. Look at who's the cuter of the two."

Lucas winced. He wasn't sure if he should've been flattered or embarrassed by being 'cuter' than his twin twice in the same hour. Most boys didn't strive to be cute at his age.

"And that power," she continued, closing her eyes for a second. "Twins, is that right? Identical save for hair and eye color. It would serve to make sense that the both of you have it."

Lucas' mind all but blanked at that last statement. Maybe he'd heard it wrong. "Excuse me," he intervened suddenly, the first time he'd spoken up around this Aeolia. "But did you just say that Claus has this power too?"

Aeolia looked at him like he had two heads. "Of course. You didn't know?"

Suddenly, Lucas felt almost betrayed. Here he was, helplessly confused by some strange things plaguing him, and come to find out from two near-_complete strangers,_ his own twin brother'd gone through the exact same thing and had not even bothered to tell him so. Did Claus not trust him enough to tell him? "...no, I didn't."

The two were silent for a moment. "That makes sense," Ionia finally said, nodding her head. "He probably assumed you wouldn't believe him, or perhaps that you'd shun him for it."

At first, this actually made Lucas angry. Claus had the nerve to think Lucas wouldn't believe him, after everything that'd happened? He ought to know the blonde would _never_ do anything like that! Claus was his twin brother, the only family he had left. Lucas liked to think that their bond was stronger than this mere glowy blue stuff.

But then he realized that he had thought the exact same thing. He'd been afraid of telling anyone about it for fear that he'd be ridiculed, or worse, forced to leave because he was different and therefore dangerous. What made him think Claus would think any differently? The fact that he hadn't signified that he cared about how Lucas thought about him. Maybe not enough trust was there to assure his brother that Lucas could only ever love him, but that was something Lucas was confident he could rectify. He stood up a little straighter, a little more confident than before. "Maybe. But he should know me better than that."

Ionia giggled. "That boy is a hasty one, to be sure~."

Lucas sighed. "Tell me about it." He then looked at the two of them rather neutrally. "But if you know him and his power...you should be able to tell me about mine. Is it the same?"

Ionia giggled again. "Oh, how assertive! Maybe we should start from the beginning."

Aeolia nodded her head in agreement. "Yes. You see, Lucas," she began, pushing a stray curl of purple hair out of her face, "your power, the power all psychokinetics can use, is called PSI. All of it isn't exactly the same, but it all shares the basic concepts. Yours is blue?"

Lucas raised his hand up to his face, thoughts rushing back to the night he'd discovered his power. Instantly his hand glowed blue once more, tiny veins of sparkling energy trailing his fingertips intricately. "Yes."

The two ooh'd, leaning forward to get a better look at Lucas' hand. "Quite good control already," Ionia murmured, stroking her chin in awe.

Aeolia also seemed impressed. "Very good. And when I say PK, what comes to mind—?"

Lucas began to speak almost automatically as soon as he'd heard the letters P and K. "Freeze. Lifeup. Love."

He was confused by the way their faces had taken on bewildered expressions. "...did I do something wrong?" he asked tentatively, willing his PSI to go away for the time being.

They didn't answer him directly. Instead, they looked at one another with almost grave eyes. "Another who can use PK Love..." Ionia trailed off. "What do you think this means?"

Aeolia merely shook her head. "I haven't the faintest idea. All I know for sure is that the Shinra'ta will be confused."

Lucas perked up at the mention of the renegades. "Wait a minute. What do the Shinra'ta have to do with this?" Just the sound of their name made Lucas mad.

Ionia turned back to Lucas, bowing her head slightly. "Well, honey...no, you deserve to know. Remember when the fires happened? Around a month and a half ago?"

Lucas' throat clenched. Yeah, he remembered that. All too well, in fact. "Yes."

"Well, as you know, that was the Shinra'ta. But you may not know that they were looking for something when they attacked."

Lucas nodded a little. "I heard something like that...but no one knew what they were looking for."

Ionia paused for a moment. "They were looking for your brother, sweetheart."

Cerulean eyes widened. "What?"

She nodded, her face sad. "It's true. You see, those who can use the PK Love technique are considered Blessed, because they have the power to pull the Seven Needles that us Magypsies protect and change the fate of the world. The Shinra'ta wanted that power, and still do, because they want to rid the world of those who don't follow them first and foremost. So they raided Tazmily, where they knew your brother resided."

Ionia waited expectantly, but Lucas wasn't looking at her; he was staring past her, at nothing in particular. "That's why he left," he breathed in realization. Everything finally made _sense_.

She nodded. "That's right. He knew that they would only keep coming back, to try and take him and use him. He couldn't handle the fact that people, including you, had gotten hurt because of him. So he left, to prevent that from happening again, to protect you and the people of Tazmily." She sighed, the hint of a giggle in her tone. "That's what Kumatora told me, anyway. A born protector, that's what he is."

Lucas agreed whole-heartedly. Whatever misgivings or doubts he'd had about the circumstances of Claus' leave had disappeared. He should've known. Even though deep down Lucas still felt disappointed he hadn't been told this by Claus himself, he also knew that Claus had assumed that things would be better this way. He'd only been looking out for him. That thought alone was enough to forgive him for everything. "...I see."

"I'm not entirely sure if the Shinra'ta will notice your presence over Clauseypoo's, but it's not out of the question," Ionia continued, giving Lucas a serious glance. "So you need to be careful, okay?"

Lucas nodded, face the epitome of determination. "Right." He wouldn't let everything Claus had worked for go to waste; not without a fight, at the very least.

Aeolia spoke up again, leaning to the other side of her armchair. "We might as well teach you how to defend yourself, then. But seeing as how you apparently know PK Lifeup, you're primarily a defensive or assistive psychokinteic."

"In sharp contrast to Clausey and Kuma," Ionia giggled in agreement.

"Does that mean I can't attack with it?" Lucas asked, suddenly confused. "Because I broke something with it once, you know. Does it not hurt people?"

Aeolia shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. You can still use it for attacks, and PK Love and Freeze are offensive spells. But Lifeup is something few psychokinetics learn. It's a very useful and quite literally life-changing technique. You see, as the name implies, it heals the target's life energy. By how much, of course, is determined by the level of the spell."

"So it heals any injury?"

"More like all blood wounds. Things like nausea or poison are not affected by Lifeup; instead there's a separate spell, PK Healing."

"Oh."

"As for the offensive stuff," Ionia added, "you can use it from a long range or even while in melee combat. You don't even have to use a particular spell, even. Remember your glowy blue stuff? You can call that back at any time and use it during a fight. It packs quite a punch."

"I see." Lucas felt kind of uncomfortable talking about things like that. He'd never been one for conflicts of any kind, fights least of all. If the time came, he was fairly confident that he'd be able to defend himself adequately enough with this PSI stuff, but only as a last resort. Lucas was too passive a boy to instigate something like a fist fight. "You taught Claus about things like this, too?"

"Of course." Ionia smiled at the memory of the redhead. "He was quite the physical one. Very strong PSI, too. Too bad Kumatora isn't here to help practice your combat. Neither of us can fight physically to save our eternal lives!"

Lucas' legs were starting to hurt a bit, so he pulled a pink chair out from under the long pink table he stood next to and sat down, eyes following Ionia as she did the same. "Eternal lives, huh? What exactly is a Magypsy, anyway?"

Ionia pushed a lock of pink hair behind her ear rather narcissistically, looking please at the question. "So glad you asked! Magypsies are those whom also utilize PSI, but we're not human. We teach those with the gift how to use their power on occasion, but our primary purpose is to guard the Seven Needles." She giggled. "And sit idly by, looking pretty while we wait for the chosen one to come pull them~."

Lucas recalled the term 'Seven Needles' from earlier in the conversation. "Oh. Are there many of you, then?"

Aeolia shook her head. "No. Just seven; one for each needle."

"Mm." Lucas believed that covered most of what he wanted to know. Until he thought about it some more and realized a very important topic he'd yet to discuss with the Magypsies in front of him. "Oh, and another question. Earlier this week I talked to a frog...sort of. Is that, uh, normal?"

They both burst out laughing at that, and Lucas felt for a moment like he'd said something wrong. "Oh, Lukeydear, that's completely normal," Ionia managed to explain once she stopped her hysterics. "And not just frogs. All animals can talk, dearie, it's just that most humans can't hear them, because they're not actually talking, merely using their brains to communicate. But you can. Talk to them sometimes; they can say some useful things, you know."

Lucas blinked. Talking animals? Now he'd heard everything. "Ah. Right. Completely normal."

Aeolia looked the tiniest bit sympathetic. "You'll get used to it in due time."

Ionia tapped her chin. "Oh, I don't know. I daresay Lucas here has already developed some psionic skill, albeit subconsciously." She flicked a finger, and Lucas saw something flicker in his peripheral vision. "C'mon, sweetums. Demonstrate for us your PK Love~"

Lucas looked at her confusedly. "But won't that hurt you guys? And break all your stuff?"

Aeolia waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about that. Just do it!"

Lucas blinked a few times before shrugging. If she really wanted her stuff broken, well, fine by him. He closed his eyes.

"To use a PK attack, visualize the spell in your head. So for this, think about love. What do you think of when you think of love?"

Lucas couldn't help but think of his mother. Then his father. And of course his dear Claus.

"Now don't tell us." Ionia's voice was insistent. "Just say it. Say PK Love."

But Lucas didn't have to. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was surrounded, head to toe, in brilliant pastel colors. Blue and red and yellow danced around his frame, sparkling and dripping away into nothingness. Lucas jumped and examined himself in awe, surprised that it didn't hurt. It just felt warm.

He didn't wait for Aeolia and Ionia to tell him what to do; he had already surmised his next move. Raising his right arm, he waved his hand simply, as if slicing horizontally, and suddenly the energy surrounding him slithered like lightning down his arm and arced in the exact path he'd drawn previously. But, to his surprise, it didn't hit anything. Instead, it ricocheted off a dazzling hexagonal shield of sorts that had previously been invisible and tore into him brutally. He screamed as he was knocked back by the force, the chair toppling over with him. His _nerves_! All of them electrocuted, set on fire and frozen at the exact same time, every single one of them. He writhed on the floor until the sensation stopped, and when he opened his eyes a good twenty seconds later, he saw to his horror that his shirt was ripped in a few places and he was bleeding steadily. That and everything _hurt_.

Pushing himself into a sitting position shakily, he held a hand over a spot that bled particularly badly, on his side. "P-PK Lifeup," he spoke through clenched teeth. His hand glowed green for a moment, and instantly most of the pain was gone, vanished without a trace. He also saw that most of his cuts faded, with the two worse ones still open but blood flow halted. He flexed his fingers. He felt strangely tired now, but fine. That could come in handy.

As soon as he stood up, his two observers began clapping excitedly. "Oh, _wonderfully_ done, Lukeydear!" Ionia practically bawled with pride, wiping a tear from her eye. "Encore!"

Lucas glared at her a little. "I'd rather not go through that again, thanks."

Aeolia chuckled. "I suppose you wouldn't. That really was spectacular, though. We didn't expect it to hit you that hard, but you took it like a hunk, and even kept your cool enough to heal yourself~"

"Alpha level powers, and yet so talented already," Ionia mused, shaking her head and smiling all the while. "My dear, you're a natural. There's nothing we can teach you that you don't already know at this point."

Lucas blinked at that. He was already as educated as he could be? Maybe this PSI stuff wasn't as complicated as he thought. "Really? I'm flattered, I guess." He'd more or less forgiven them for making him hurt himself. No permanent harm done, anyhow. "Did Claus learn this fast?"

Ionia laughed. "Not at all," she answered, and Lucas listened intently. "In fact, he only just recently obtained his beta level powers, according to Kumatora. I figure that, with practice, you can be there in just under a week."

Lucas was actually rather shocked. It wasn't often that Lucas could do things better than Claus, reading and cooking notwithstanding. To be praised as a natural when he had struggled from the sounds of it...Lucas was impressed by himself. "Wow. But, hold on," he suddenly noticed something that Magypsies had mentioned a few times now. "Kumatora. That name sounds familiar. You say she knows Claus?"

Ionia nodded. "Yes. In fact, she's the one who was helping Claus with all this, like we did with you. She left with him, to the army, to continue to train him." She sighed almost grumpily. "And to get away from us. Silly girl."

Suddenly things clicked in Lucas' mind. "The pink-haired girl," he said aloud. The girl Fuel had spoken of, the one that had been with Claus when he'd come back the night of the fire.

Ionia laughed. "Yes, that's her."

Lucas nodded. Even more pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place. Though Lucas still resented the Shinra'ta and missed Claus, he _understood_. That was important. He hated not knowing things, hence his love of books.

"Well then," Ionia spoke up again, gesturing to the chair Lucas still hadn't picked up since he'd been knocked off and away. "How about you stay with us for tea? I make a mean chamomile, if I do say so myself~."

Though tea was tempting, Lucas decided that he wanted to go back home instead. He was tired, and he hadn't checked the mail in a couple of days. Maybe Claus had written him back? "Sorry, but I'm kinda tired. I think I'd rather go home." He didn't want to be impolite after all they'd done for him, but.

Ionia looked a bit deflated, but understanding enough. "Of course. You must be a bit disoriented from everything you've learned today, too! Come, come, I'll bring you home," she insisted, standing and walking around to his side of the table, grasping his arm with hers and linking them. She ran a hand down his bicep. "Not very muscular, are we? But your skin is very soft...~" she cooed. Lucas leaned away a bit, jokingly. He'd spent enough time with them now to know that the flirting was only a game to them.

Aeolia gave him a little wave. "Goodbye, dear Lucas. May we meet again sometime~" she said in farewell, blowing him a kiss.

Lucas caught it and put it on his cheek, causing Aeolia to giggle. "Yeah. Bye, Aeolia."

_-PK Teleport-_

A few moments later they were standing in his room once again, like they'd never even left. Lucas was still dizzy and probably would have fallen over had Ionia not been holding on to his arm. She let go when he blinked a few times and righted his footing. "Well, then. I guess I'll leave through the front this time, so the manager man will know I left. Farewell, Lukeydear. See you again someday!" she giggled, opening the door.

"Bye, Ionia," Lucas waved at her, and she returned the wave before closing the door behind her. The blonde was finally alone again.

Glancing at his clock, he saw it was eight thirty. Just enough time for him to grab some breakfast, and then come back to the room for a nap. All the energy he'd had earlier that morning had been used up.

Waiting for a few minutes for Ionia to leave, Lucas also left his room, stomach grumbling as he closed the door and trudged down the plush hallway.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Magypsies again! Yaay! I like writing those two. It's fun, especially with all their flirtiness. :D**_

Lucas now understands everything. DUN DUN DUUUN. It's about damn time, too. I would think he had the right to know a long time ago, seeing as how he was injured in the fire in the first place. Friggin' Claus. I HOPE THOSE TWO REUNITE SOON -shot-

You know, there are more reviews on this chapter than any of the others. :D I love you guys. SO MUCH. No, seriously. It may not seem like it with how little I update, but I do! ;A;

But I digress. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. It's always appreciated! Even if you think yours will be pointless and dumb, IT WON'T BE _**POINTLESS AND DUMB. It'll be awesome. I'll love you forever.**_

See you with the next installment. C:


	17. XVII Attempted Espionage

_**A/N: Hey look I actually updated in a reasonable amount of freakin' time- -shot- and it's one of the longest chapters yet, HOORAH.**_

Anyway, I notice I haven't quite explained something. It's minor, but here we go. Shinra'ta. (sheen-rah-tah). Done. The apostrophe is just there for lulz. I don't know what I was thinking.

_**WARNINGS**__**: Uh...nothing new, really, except some violence. It's not too graphic, though, so you pansies out there can stay. -trollface-**_

_**DISCLAIMAH**__**: Yeah, I did just spell 'disclaimer' like an idiot, but I still don't own anythin'.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—t—**e**—r—

Claus adjusted the helmet that covered his face, noting that it was rather odd but not entirely uncomfortable.

Just as Fassad had wanted, their little plan had been talked through, submitted, approved, prepared for, and was now less than an hour away from commencing. They were to head into Shinra'ta territory, on a mission to locate the exact position of their base. It sounded simple in theory, but from what Claus had heard regarding what little was already known about the area surrounding it, the feat would not be an easy one. Nevertheless, he and Alexis were more than willing to try. The other squad leader had decided to bring her entire force; Claus a mere two score from his own pool of soldiers. He didn't think he was quite ready to lead an entire two hundred twenty four person section of the army. Forty was plenty to start out with.

In preparation for the mission, Dr. Andonuts had insisted upon a check-up, not only to make sure he was healthy, but to run diagnostics on his cannon arm. He'd then put him under extreme anesthesia again, knocking him out for almost half a day, and when he'd woken up he'd felt rather weird. In a good way; he felt weirdly _good_, if that made any sense, like he was mentally refreshed for some reason. He'd also gotten a gift from the good doctor; the helmet he now wore. It was a dark grey, matching his boots, and almost completely covered his face. His right eye was visible to most everyone else, but a tinted screen of sorts covered the other completely. Though it looked rather useless, the screen was actually its most useful feature; it displayed information, from basic things like the time and his current latitude and longitude to downright complex things, like detailed bios on everyone registered as a citizen of the Pork Nation or a small green box that would flash and turn red when he locked on to something, and his cannon would fire a shot that would hit his target accurately every time. That was apparently why he'd been numbed by Andonuts, so he could configure the chip in his brain to communicate with this helmet and the large, bulky pack now attached to his back. It apparently had mechanical wings inside it, but Andonuts had warned him to not use it yet, as it needed an extended period of time to sync with Claus' body. Fine by Claus.

With a last look at himself in the mirror, he nodded to himself and turned his attention to his pockets, checking to make sure he had everything he needed before they set out. Cellular communicator, check. Emergency roll of bandages, check. Rope, check. Small dagger, check. Rations, check. His inventory was all there, just like it had been ten minutes prior, and the half-hour before that. He exhaled. He wasn't nervous. Just...anxious for what was to come. He would finally be able to avenge his hometown now, maybe even put an end to the Shinra'ta's shenanigans once and for all if things went well from there on out. The thought sent shivers down his spine.

His helmet informed him that it was nearly three o'clock in the morning; he needed to leave now, lest he be late for their departure. Clearing his throat for little reason, he exited his quarters unceremoniously, pacing calmly down the deserted corridors and towards the elevator.

The ground floor was his stop, and when he stepped off the lift he was greeted by who else but Delaney Smith, his second in command of squadron A. Claus was surprised; she was to stay here with the remainder of the squad, thus not required to get up so early. She looked all gussied up. So then, why was she awake? "Delaney," he greeted her. Alway conflicted by his higher rank versus her obvious age lead, he chose the friendly yet informal given name greeting. She wasn't much one for treating people differently based on rank, though, so she didn't mind. "What are you doing up so early?"

She smiled at him, her face scrunching up in a good way. "Wishing you luck, of course," she answered, like it was obvious. "But the fact that I couldn't sleep may have played a part too. Anyway, good luck." She gave him two thumbs up, and it was only then that Claus noticed that she was for once without her trusty clipboard. She wasn't technically working right now, anyway, so it made sense.

He smiled back at her from underneath his helmet and bowed his head a bit. "Thanks. Hopefully you'll sleep better tomorrow...well, tonight." He liked Delaney; she was nice, thoughtful and considerate, but she could still joke around marginally. "Try to hold the fort down for me, will you?"

She giggled. "I shall certainly try my best." Then she raised a slender hand to grip his shoulder. "Be careful, alright? I want you to see your sixteenth birthday." She wasn't one to sugarcoat things, either, but she did try her damnedest to reassure. "As long as you're careful, you've got a great chance of being successful."

Claus bowed his head. "I'll take all the necessary precautions. Seriously, I'll be fine." He paused for a moment. "But if I do end up dying, tell my brother that I loved him."

Delaney removed her hand, giving him a little reprimanding frown. "No jokes that involve death. It's too real a possibility."

"Indeed, but I think he realizes that," a familiar voice cut in abruptly. The two turned their heads to see Alexis Armstrong, striding down the hall towards them with an air of dominance, face set in a serious yet level gaze. She looked just like she had the last time Claus had seen her, with her sleek blue uniform and slightly curly blonde hair flowing beside her freely, but now carried a long rapier attached to her belt that glinted rather menacingly in the light of the hallway. He was willing to bet she was quite skilled with it. "Itoi, you keep loitering around like this and I'll leave your ass behind."

Claus gave her a hostile grin in response. Having spent so much time around her during the last week trying to make preparations for their little excursion, he'd become adept at handling her attitude and dishing it right back at her. She wasn't all that bad, just extremely hard to please. "Sorry, Alexis. Just accepting best wishes from my co-commander. Allow me to accompany you to the deployment pad in apology." He turned back to Delaney, an apologetic shrug moving his shoulders up and back down again. "Farewell."

She nodded in understanding. "Have a good time, Commander," she replied, turning to head the way Alexis had just come from. As she passed said blonde, she locked eyes with her for a moment. "Good morning, Alexis."

Alexis returned her gaze cooly. "Likewise, Smith."

Claus watched on in detached puzzlement as Delaney continued without so much as another glance back. He had only seen them interact a few times and very briefly at that, but he still didn't know what went on between those two. Were they simply two co-leaders? Or did they know (and apparently subtly dislike) each other on a more personal level? Alexis seemed to treat her with less...audacity then most. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

He didn't dwell too much on the subject, however; Alexis put a hand on his back when she caught up with him and pushed none too lightly, forcing him into motion. "Escort me, my ass. Keep your eyes off Delaney and focus on your job, kay? She's too old for you."

Claus turned his head to give her an almost exasperated look. "Yes, that's _exactly_ what's going on. I am so utterly embarrassed that I think I'll run back to my room and pine over her in dejected silence."

She scoffed. "You're not getting off that easily, punk. This is your damn brainchild we're acting on here, so take it seriously."

Claus shook his head, returning his gaze forward and walking without her aid now. "Alexis, I don't think you know just how serious this is to me personally."

He could practically hear the roll of her eyes expressed through her tone of voice. "Oh, yes, how could I have forgotten? Revenge for your town, for Tazmily. Now there's motivation if I've ever seen it."

Claus resisted the urge to turn around and face her, which would be admitting to the fact she'd gotten to him. "Oh, okay then. What's your motivation, exactly?" he asked in response, his voice calm.

"Loyalty to King Porky, and the innate desire to protect people from other, homicidal people."

The way she said it left little room for doubt. Claus took this in thoughtfully. A protector, huh? That was him, too, but on a smaller scale. Admittedly, he only truly got worked up over Tazmily. And of course, his brother. But he figured that protecting the entirety of the Pig Nation was also protecting Tazmily and therefore Lucas, so Claus decided that concerning himself with the whole land was a good idea. "I see."

"I'm serious, though." Her voice was lower now, like she was telling him something important. "Revenge is powered by anger, and while that's well and good, you can't let that anger get the best of you. Make your anger cold, so you can use it. If it's hot, it'll use you."

Claus was caught off guard by the complexity of her tone, and the cryptic wisdom that came with it. Cold and hot anger? Though he didn't fully understand what she spoke of, he recognized that it was advice, that she was trying to help him. He appreciated that. "That's true. I'll keep that in mind."

As they stepped out into the chilly night air and onto the gigantic expanse of flat grey pavement known to the army as the deployment area, Claus suddenly felt exhilarated. His mission. It was happening, right here, right now. He was going to play a major part in the defeat of the Shinra'ta bastards, and it was going to be great.

You know, hopefully.

It wasn't that long of a walk to the line of tanks and infantrymen that awaited their command, all things considered; by the time they formally stood in front of their soldiers, they were right on schedule. Everyone looked at them expectantly, anxiously awaiting their instructions.

And as suddenly as he'd become upbeat, he became nervous. This would be, as pathetic as it sounded, his first time giving anyone from his own squad orders, let alone those from other ones. Hell, he'd only ever even _talked_ to them all once, at his promotion ceremony. Orders were expected from him; he was the titular commander of the entire army, not just the A squadron. Alexis was the Lieutenant General, which was just below him. But she had by far more experience than him thus far. He remained silent, trying to piece together some kind of speech that was to the point and didn't sound too weird (though finding something that out-weirded his clearly underageness would be impressive indeed).

But Alexis began to speak in his place. "Alright, you lot, today's the day. You know the drill by now, I'm sure, but let's go through it again real quicklike to make sure you all understand it fully." She spoke in a brash, authoritative way. It certainly caught Claus' attention well enough. "We're storming the Shinra'ta's territory in an attempt to locate their headquarters. All tanks, A through F, and infantry toons three through seven will stay positioned on the outer edges of the territory, standing by in case something goes wrong on the inside. We'll have three groups marching inside and following different paths, in an attempt to divide and conquer. Toons one and two will follow lieutenant commander Cooper, toons eight and nine will follow myself and all those from squadron A will be following Commander Itoi. Specifics regarding your paths will be explained on the way. Any questions?"

Her question rang through the air. No one made a sound.

"Good. Now get to your stations," she barked. "We're moving out!"

Pigmasks were suddenly moving in an organized swarm, each knowing exactly where to go. Many gave Claus a fleeting look, probably having expected him to say something, but did not press the matter. Alexis brushed past him, giving him a look. "Ready?"

He nodded resolutely. Of course he was ready. Even if he wasn't, there was no way he'd turn down such an opportunity. "As I'll ever be." And as he walked to the only large automobile that had the pink letter A emblazoned on it's side, he took a deep breath. He could definitely handle this.

He waited until most every pigmask had arrived at their positions before he hoisted himself up and into the back of the vehicle, the doors shutting of their own accord just behind him. He stared at forty masks, separated into two rows of twenty that sat on benches protruding from the vehicles sides, that stared right back at him, no doubt taking in the sight of their new commander up close. Eyes could be felt on his cannon arm, which hung idly at his side. He couldn't see their expressions, but the again, they could barely see his, either. He cleared his throat. "Good morning. My name is Claus Itoi, and I am the Pigmask Army's Commander, doubling as the commander of it's A squadron."

No one answered, though some shifted in their seats.

Claus frowned but continued. "As most of you can probably tell, I'm new to this whole commander thing. That's probably not reassuring, but there's a reason I was put in charge." He flexed his fingers, and a crackle of sparkling energy danced around his fingers for a moment. A few intakes of breath could be heard. "I don't claim to be knowledgeable about all this, but I've been training and reading up on this business, and I'm fairly confident that we'll be successful. I—no, _we_, we have dealt with the Shinra'ta before. This is my plan we're carrying out here, but it will only work with everyone's cooperation. I'm not here to yell and scream at you, but I'm not going to be your friend, either." He paused again, but still garnered no response from them. "I will do my best to lead you, and you will do your best to carry out those orders, and with the help of Armstong and her squad, we'll be one step closer to peace. Is everyone with me?"

Claus had to admit that his hope had diminished somewhat since he started his little spiel, but there was only a few seconds pause before each and every pigmask saluted him, backs stiffened and arms raised. The boy's serious expression faded a bit as his gaze traveled to each and every one of them before he saluted them all back, with his only good arm, and nodded.

"We were all behind you one hundred percent from the start, sir," a deep, gruff voice spoke up finally, from a white pigmask in the far front of the van. My second in command for this trip, Claus thought.

"The hero of Getts," another voice piped up, and there were murmurs of agreement on both sentiments.

Claus stared at them all for a moment before he allowed himself a small smile, not seeing any harm in it. "I'm far from a hero, you know." He made his way down the line of soldiers, hand and cannon behind his back. Every single one of their heads followed him. "You've put my mind at ease, however, so thank you."

When he reached the front, a little glass window separated the driver from the rest of them. "Commander, we're ready to leave."

He blinked. So Alexis was waiting on him? Or maybe she was allowing him the honor of setting them in motion, because it was his plan. So his soldiers could see it, get a grasp for his level of authority. "Let's get this show on the road."

The vehicle rumbled as it came to life, and faintly he could hear the roar of tanks and other automobiles as they did the same, seemingly as if everyone had heard his words. Claus exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, flexing the fingers on his good hand. So this is what it feels like to have authority.

"Sir," the white pigmask spoke up again, "the specifics of our role in this op?"

Claus turned. "Right, of course." He cleared his throat, grateful to his colonel for the reminder. "Our main goal is to distract the Shinra'ta forces, to make it easier for the others to accomplish their goal of locating the headquarters itself."

He heard a _huuuh?_ from somewhere near the back.

"That doesn't make any sense," another voice pointed out.

"Why would you make yourself, the hero of Getts, play decoy?" a feminine voice questioned almost angrily.

Claus nodded. He wanted to laugh at how highly they regarded him, but he guessed that it was because of his PSI. They thought he was invincible. They thought he could do anything. "I understand why you'd think it crazy, but there is a good reason. You see, the Shinra'ta know where I am at all times."

A befuddled paused followed. "How?" someone asked.

Claus shrugged. "PSI users give off an aura. Normally it's pretty short range, but since I have...the special power, if you will, mine is so potent they can sense it from anywhere in the Nowhere Islands."

Another, more impressed silence ensued. "Alright, but what are we going to do to accomplish that?" a random pigmask inquired. "Run around in circles? I think they'd catch on to that pretty quick."

"Well, of course. They're not stupid," Claus agreed. As much as they were talking back (probably due to his not-so-indimidating age, voice and demeanor), he was glad they could think for themselves instead of following his orders blindly. "We're going to act like we are heading for their HQ, and get there first. Hopefully they'll be so preoccupied with us that the others can sneak by undetected."

"So basically, we get to raise hell."

Claus grinned. "Exactly."

Though he couldn't see it, the smirk of his colonel was heard in his tone. "Then raise hell we shall," he affirmed, gripping his gun that much tighter as if to prove his point.

The murmurs of agreement weren't murmurs this time; full on shouts of fired-up determination were had, and Claus laughed until they began to quiet down. "But that time will come later," he reminded, turning to look out the vehicle's front window through the glass. "For now, we wait."

_-asdfjkl;-_

As soon as the vehicle began to slow, Claus was on his feet and instructing his soldiers to do the same. "Alright, we're finally here. Everyone up, stretch if you must, but be ready to move as soon as we come to a complete stop." No qualms from his subordinates were heard.

So when a minute later the wheels on the van stopped moving, the back doors were pushed open and pigmasks came filing out in earnest, hopping out onto the grassy ground and making their way around to the congregation of infantrymen and tanks already in position. Claus was the last one out, and after having made sure no one was left inside he closed the doors and hurried after his crew, one of three clumps of people near the beginning of the forest.

The time they'd spent traveling had carried them well into the day; the sun was positioned up in the clear blue sky in a way that told Claus it was near ten o'clock or so. Birds chirped almost reprimandingly at them as they flew past, getting away from the low rumble of the tanks that bothered them so. Trees could be seen as far as the eye itself could see, circling inward to create a barrier of sorts that distinguished the rest of the land from the forest. The branches were high above their heads, and it was extremely shaded underneath the canopy, which was both good and bad for them.

When Claus had made his way to the front of his squad, closest to the forest, he stood facing them stoically. They all stared back at him, and Claus knew that it would be a common thing. But then he realized that it wasn't just them; every single one of the pigmasks present, be they in a toon or up on top of a tank, had their head turned toward him. Even Alexis and her second in command, Colonel Cooper, and it was then that he registered that they were waiting for him to say something, to get them going.

_I wonder if their hearts are beating as fast as mine?_

He cleared his throat, wincing as the sound resonated throughout the silence. "Now that we're all here, it's important that we start as soon as physically possible. All those assigned to the tanks," he addressed them first, looking at each of them individually, "will be dispersed along the perimeter of the forest, to make sure no one enters or exits and in case an emergency happens somewhere."

Those atop the machines nodded in understanding.

Claus nodded back. "Then, the infantry toons. Colonel Cooper's toon will march one hundred fifty meters to the east of the forest before entering, and Lieutenant General Armstrong's toon will walk one hundred fifty meters to the west. My toon will enter from here straightaway, to give us a lead. Is that clear?"

All the nods he got in response were fairly reassuring.

Despite this, Claus' expression did not change. "Alright then. Squadron A, let's move!"

As soon as he began to turn around, his soldiers began to march behind him, five by four, in perfect unison, and slowly they plunged into the forest's darkness. He could hear Alexis and Cooper doing the same behind him, but mostly Alexis; "Well, you heard him! Let's go! Five by four march, you know the drill!"

Then it was silent, save for their footsteps on the uneven and leaf-covered ground. On and on they walked, discipline apparently keeping them from engaging in small talk with one another. Everyone possessed a two-handed gun, whether it be in their hands or slung across their shoulders. Those on the outer sides of the rows were attentive, glancing about for any signs of trouble. A few would point guns once in a while, at a bush moving or some such, but it was never anything more than a harmless animal of some sort.

The white pigmask had come up to march by his side, so Claus wasted no time in addressing a concern of his. "Colonel?" he whispered, quietly enough so that he'd be the only one capable of hearing.

The white mask turned to face him. "Commander?" he replied just as quietly.

Claus looked him in the eyehole. "I just wanted to make sure that you understand something. It's true that I have PSI and all, but—"

"But you're not all-powerful and as such we need to be at our best," he finished for him, head bobbing up and down. "We understand. Sir, this is the A Squadron, after all. You can rely on us."

Claus just looked at him for a moment before smiling genuinely, relieved. This colonel—his colonel—was a good man. He would do his best for him, and all the men and women he led today. "I hope you don't mind my asking what your name is, colonel."

The mask just stared at him, though the boy heard a chuckle resound behind it. "Cornelius, sir. Cornelius deFleur."

Claus returned his gaze to his front. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind, Colonel deFleur."

It wasn't too long later—maybe thirty minutes or so—that they came upon a part of the forest in which the trees became successively less dense. He felt his soldier behind him tense a bit in anticipation, and Claus couldn't help but hold his cannon arm at a bit of an angle and they pressed forward. Who knew what could lay waiting for their arrival.

But when Claus stepped into the clearing and swept his gaze around, he was a bit confused. There was literally nothing there. Grass lined the ground in patches, and in some places there was only dirt, but other than that the place was barren. The sun shone brightly down upon them through the giant hole in the treetops, which only served to cast darker shadows on the ground just inside the forest's grasp. A few birds chirped idly from the branches.

Claus and company continued into the clearing until they neared it's approximate center, where he stopped, and those behind him followed suit. Colonel deFleur kept walked for a few paces, looking around himself. "This is a bit weird," he observed aloud.

"Clearings like this don't just happen in forests, do they?" a feminine voice asked from behind them.

"No, they do," Claus answered, raising his head to the sky. "But they're usually not so barren...at least, in my experience."

Someone else gasped. "Do you think it's a trap?"

deFleur hmm'd. "It's a possibility, but they probably would have sprung it already if it was, right?"

"What if they just don't know we're here yet?"

He hmm'd again. "Touché."

Suddenly Claus' helmet screen flashed and zeroed in on a tree in the distance, one of the branches. He narrowed his eyes in response. "Looks like we've got company," he said, flexing his fingers once again.

Those behind him tensed. "Where?" his colonel questioned, holding his gun close to his person.

Claus pointed, and as he did so, digital circles formed in one, two, four, seven, twenty other places, all pointing to other detected life forms suddenly in range. Human species confirmed, his helmet provided helpfully. "In the trees. Twenty or so of them."

Clicks and clanks could be heard resounding through the air behind him. Claus' eyes did not leave the specks in his helmet's vision. A fiery emotion flared in his gut, but he remembered what Alexis had told him earlier and managed to enclose it in semi-cold ice. He would not lose himself to rage. "Show yourselves!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, the sudden volume scaring away the birds around them.

Something rustled through the branches and down dropped a body, deftly landing on its feet in a crouched position. His helmet zoomed his vision in for him, allowing him to assess the enemy closely. Unruly brown hair framed his face, and his eyes were cold but young, boring into him like he knew Claus could see him so clearly. His rouge-looking camouflage definitely helped him blend in with his surroundings, but he didn't seem to be all that old; eighteen at best. There was something strange about him, but Claus couldn't put his finger on what.

When he began to approach them and the rest of his clan dropped from the trees one by one, his own soldiers began to head forward to meet them. Claus held his arm out. "Wait." He didn't want any fighting to erupt too close to the trees; if they were dragged into the forest to fight, they'd be at a serious disadvantage. At least this terrain was fair for the both of them, though Claus really didn't care if anything was fair for these bastards.

As if he'd sensed that thought, the brunette boy stopped his advancement a mere few meters away, and his troops caught up with him from there. Claus stared the other down, watching him like a hawk for the first hostile move. But none came.

"I assume you're him, then," the boy spoke up, his voice lower than Claus' but still juvenile. "The one who felled our Captain...the Blessed One."

Claus matched his gaze, both their eyes glowing with detached ferocity. "So he's dead, then?" The one in charge last time, at Getts, had been unobtainable due to the other able-bodied Shinra'ta having retreated with him so speedily that their soldiers could not track them.

He did not react to this statement much. "Oh no, he's fine. Merely waiting for a good time to enact his revenge." The older boy's face then turned disgusted. "I just can't believe you'd settle for something like this. Commanding a bunch of _swine_."

His soldiers did not appreciate the pun, if the dark mutters in response amounted to anything. But they did not move; they'd wait for Claus' order.

"Better than a bunch of psychotic fools bent on pointless destruction," was Claus' own response. He wasn't too surprised when the Shinra'ta didn't even change their expressions. They were well-trained, to be sure.

Their leader shook his head almost pitifully. "High Priestess Joire plans great things for the future of this place, but with you silly pig people around she cannot set these plans into motion. You have ruined the world with your pathetic technology." He looked at Claus again. "But it's no matter. You've refused to come to our side, and we simply have no need for you anymore. Even you cannot stand up against what we have in store."

Claus narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

He laughed, a forced and cold sound that echoed for seconds after it ended. "It doesn't concern you, so don't worry your pretty little head over it. But I see you were stupid enough to come into our territory. Trying to find our place of residence, I presume?" He looked amused again, for reasons unbeknownst to Claus. "It's quite a shame you won't get that far."

And then Claus was caught utterly off-guard. The boy raised his right hand and, without any warning, shot a bolt of electricity right at him. His sight flickered and he couldn't bite down his scream, his muscles twitching spastically as his every nerve was electrocuted violently. He managed to stay on his feet, however, and without a second thought had his cannon arm pointed and charging. His helmet's screen assured him its systems were still online and functioning before setting virtual crosshairs on all unidentified persons. _He has PSI_, his frazzled mind gathered.

"Attack!" deFleur had yelled before Claus had even screamed, and suddenly cameo and pink clashed in a frenzied skirmish. The other boy made to shock someone else with his PSI, but Claus forced him to counter his cannon arm's shot with it instead. The two attacks, Claus' nameless shining plasma and his electrically-charged PK Thunder, cancelled each other out.

Claus wasted no time, sprinting up to his side and making to punch him. The other boy jutted his body back to avoid it and instead sent a leg flying at him. Claus fell to his knees to dodge and shot him again, this time making contact and doing decent enough damage; enough to cause him to stumble back. Pushing himself back up, Claus swung his cannon arm to make some kind of physical contact, but the other boy merely caught it and brought a knee up into Claus' ribs, knocking the breath out of him. Hurt but still okay, the redhead locked on to his opponent and gave his cannon arm permission to auto-fire when it was ready. Instead, he focused his psionic energy into another spell. "PK Fire!"

It was dodged swiftly, and ended up setting the ground on fire. Claus immediately put it out and watched as his cannon arm fired of its own accord, hitting the boy square in the face. He was sent sprawling. But when Claus made to follow him down and do sufficient damage, he yelled and recoiled blindly when something cold and sharp sliced through his uniform and skin on his right side. He was able to dodge the second slice and send a foot at his assailant, but she avoided the attack and flicked her knife again, this time at his neck. In the process of stepping out of the way, her blade cut his cheek (the only part of his face not protected, what a shock), but he socked her in side and successfully shot her in retaliation. As she stumbled back, she was bum rushed by a pigmask and shot once again. Claus exhaled.

And looked back over to his original opponent just in time to see him lunge at him viciously, nose bleeding profusely. Claus knew he couldn't step away in time, but he did manage to bring his arms up to stop his blow. Luckily his fist had made contact with Claus' metallic appendage, and he yelled in frustration. Taking advantage of this, Claus called forth his special technique. "PK Love!" Pastel-colored energy ripped through his person savagely, and he let Claus go as he struggled to stay upright. Claus immediately began to charge his cannon arm up again. _Alright, one more shot should do it—_

But his enemy was abruptly enveloped in a green light, and he immediately looked much better, shoving his cannon arm away and sent a PSI-charged fist careening into his chest. Claus was knocked back from the force of his blow and his mind was racing. _Wait a goddamn second. Did he just heal himself?_ His unspoken question was answered when he noticed that the boy's bloodied nose was back to normal, and he was furious. What the unholy hell was he supposed to do when his enemy could _heal_ himself? But Claus noticed his slightly sluggish movements, the way his eyes were less bright than before, and realized what he had to do.

Claus made sure to set his cannon arm charging before he began his physical assault, punching and kicking wildly to do some kind of damage. The older boy dodged all his attempts, but was trying so hard to keep from being hit he couldn't do anything in return. Eventually he took Claus' punch to the chest in favor of channeling his PSI into his palms and shoving into him hard. Claus' body was sent flying backward, flipping a few times before landing on his feet and skidding to a stop a few meters away. He panted. He couldn't keep going like this forever, he knew, but neither could the boy. He saw around him limp Shinra'ta bodies and injured pigmasks, but the battle seemed to be over save for the two of them. Claus decided he'd end this as quickly as possible.

"PK Fire!" he tried again, flicking the bolt at his advancing opponent, and this time it made contact, a pillar of fire blasting him backward and setting his clothing ablaze. His helmet reminded him that his weapon was fully charged, and Claus fired gladly, watching with little emotion as the other boy's body was ravaged by shot after shot, face contorted in pain. How could he care, when they clearly didn't care about Pork Nation lives?

He glowed green again just as Claus' cannon arm ran out of pre-charged energy. Claus' eyes narrowed, but he allowed him to rise from the ground, quickly circling to his blind spot. By the time he was on his feet and aware of Claus' position relative to his own, the redhead had wound back with his left arm, his cannon arm. He didn't even have time to blink before Claus brought his metallic appendage up and smashed his skull just right with a yell. The battle was over before his body hit the ground, crumpling at his feet.

No one cheered. Claus was glad. "Colonel!" he yelled, his voice rather hoarse.

The white pigmask was behind him a fair ways, tending to a fallen private. "Sir?"

"Do you know off the top of your head which tooth the cyanide capsules were found in?"

He thought back for a second. "In the top rightmost molar, I believe," he answered, going back to carefully removing an arrow from his temporary patient's arm.

Claus was on his knees before deFleur had even answered, wrenching the brunette's mouth open. Pulling his glove off with his own mouth and dropping it into his lap, he dug around the aforementioned tooth until he found a tiny button and pushed it. Out popped an equally as tiny capsule onto his finger, and he took it gingerly until his hand was out of the other boy's mouth entirely before flinging it away. He then stood up and wiped his hand on his pants before stuffing the glove away in his pocket. "Alright, he's a hostage. Everyone else, feel free to do that to anyone else you think might have decent information."

When no one moved, Claus inwardly sighed. "Let me guess. Everyone else is already dead."

"Orders didn't say anything about taking hostages," someone pointed out.

The redhead looked in the general direction of the unknown voice. "True. I guess he'll just have to do, then."

Two pink pigmasks looked at each other before rushing over to the boy's limp body to transport him back to the rendezvous point. Claus meant to walk over to where deFleur and a couple other pigmasks helped those injured, but one of them scurried up to him with a roll of bandages. "Commander! P-please, let me take care of you!" they exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. Decidedly female.

Claus didn't smile, but his eyes did soften. "Thank you, but they're just scratches. I'll be fine." He was rather tired, though. A good night's sleep what what he needed.

She gestured to his side. "That's a lot more than a scratch, sir!"

He looked down to where she'd indicated and saw that she was actually right; where he'd been sliced open earlier was still bleeding steadily, and it was bigger and probably deeper than Claus had assumed. Something should probably be done about that, he decided. So he agreed to sit down and take off his jacket and undershirt while she tended to him. The adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins during the battle had left him, and the wound had begun to hurt exponentially more as she cleaned it, hissing in response to her wipes. His cheek cut was long but thin, and the blood had already dried and crusted; all she had to do was clean it and apply a bandaid.

As she finished up, he felt insistent vibrations coming from his pocket. Knowing his helmet did not have ear holes, he took it off for the moment and set it in his lap, pulling his cell communicator out of his pants, flipping it open and pressing the talk button. "Hello?"

"Itoi." He'd recognize Alexis' voice anywhere. "I assume you're alright?"

"Just a few scratches, nothing too terrible. We've got some pretty bad injuries, though. You?"

He heard a sigh. "Four fatalities. But the lot of them are dead. Cooper says the same, but with seven deaths."

Claus hunched forward a bit more, and if he'd had a free hand to run through his hair, he would have. "Damn. Is that all? No one made it to their base?"

"It's not as simple as we'd thought it to be, Itoi. Their headquarters are underground."

Claus' head shot up, catching his aide's attention. "_What_?"

"Seriously. Cooper found a camouflaged entrance in the ground. He sent his smallest soldier in to scope things out, expecting it to be a supply store of some sort, but it's apparently a massive cavern down there, connecting all kinds of different tunnels. Your plan backfired."

Claus was silent for a moment. Underground base. That was _genius_. It made one virtually completely shielded from the outside, if one guarded it properly. "At least we know what we're dealing with." He already had ideas of how to go about attacking such a fortress, but formally announcing these ideas could be done after they made it back to the PAMHQ. "Oh, I forgot to tell you something. I managed to take a hostage. PSI-user."

Alexis did not respond for a second. "You're shitting me."

"Even disabled his cyanide capsule and everything."

"Wow. Alright then. Get to the rendezvous point. I'll contact Fassad and tell him we're coming."

"Roger that." Claus then lowered his communicator, shutting it off completely before stuffing it back into his pocket. "Alright, is anyone still so hurt they can't walk without aid?"

A few groans were heard in response. Some pigmasks hurried over to these soldiers' sides. "Don't worry, sir, we've got them," one of them reassured him.

"Thank you." He pulled his under shirt back on his person, deciding to tie his jacket around his waist. "We're to get back to the rendezvous point ASAP. I want us moving in two minutes time."

"Sir!"

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Please keep in mind that I know very little about the actual army/any kind of military whatever. If an actual army did things like they do in this fic I'm pretty sure they'd fail miserably. But this is fanfiction dot net, so that's okay! :D -bang bang-**_

But, yeah. I don't have much else to say. I snuck his helmet and wings in this chapter, nwehehe. That silly Doctor Andonuts~

Review, pretty please? Especially critique my fight scene. I feel like I did rather okay on it, but I'm sure it could be better. TELL ME HOW SO. ...:D

I'm feeling generous, so here's a sneak peek of the next chapter:

"Tonda Gossa!"

DON'T LIE. YOU'RE SUPER EXCITED.

See you guys later! C: 


	18. XVIII Club Titiboo

_**A/N: Aaand I lied. Chapter (or as the summary now calls it, Installment) Seventeen now has the most reviews of any chapter. ;A; I love you guys. Hearing from you always makes my day. Enjoy the chapter!**_

_**The letter Claus is replying to is the one from Installment Eleven. It's long overdue, I know.**__****_

_**WARNINGS**__**: Uh...none? Some language, I suppose. And SURPRISES.**_

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: Do I own any of this? Well, do you have three eyes and a spiny tail? No. No you don't**_.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

Rubbing his head for a final few seconds, Lucas made do with simply hanging the towel around his neck in favor of pulling some socks onto his bare feet. He was in a great mood, maybe because of the fact he hadn't had to put some kind of cast or brace back on after his shower. It was around nine in the morning, and the blonde had only woken up about ten minutes prior. As such, he yawned a bit. I'm getting lazy, he noted absently.

Looking over to where he had laid his mail the night before, he saw the letter he'd gotten from Claus still open. Smiling unconsciously, he decided he'd read it again, and grabbed it from his nightstand deftly.

_Luke,_

I couldn't think of anything witty for the opening. I apologize. Lucas had snorted the first time he'd read it. _Anyway, here's to hoping you heal up as fast as possible! You're young, so it's shouldn't be much of a problem, haha._ Of course, he'd already healed, but Lucas still appreciated the thought.

_The Yado, huh? That's interesting. I was expecting an actual apartment or something, but I guess it works. That Jackie, though. It's cool he allows that. And it's no problem, stupid! It's my job to look out for my little brother!_ Lucas chuckled at Claus' chivalry. _Well, if the money's not there by the time this letter arrives, there are some serious problems going on or something. It's a monthly rate, you know_. At this Lucas' jaw dropped. Eighty thousand DP a month? Who in the world needed that much money, anyway?

_Hah, if you knew her, you'd take that back in a second. We're about equal in skill now, though, so I guess you're right. And I'm serious; let's race when I come visit, okay? Just don't cry when you lose, haha. Fuel mentioned her? Well, we'd just finished up some training then, too_. Lucas blinked. They'd trained together even before? _Haha, say hi to them all for me, please. You have no idea how much I miss you all._ Lucas' smile came back at this point. If only you knew how much I missed you, he thought in return.

I_ guess so, but not when the room's all metallic and plain. But you're right, I'm completely used to it by now. Sorry, Luke, but I'm officially dropping that damn book. Just not into it. _Lucas rolled his eyes._ And damn straight I rock the pink. Well, rocked. I have a sweet new uniform now. It's black and orange, and pretty badass._ Lucas tried to imagine it in his head, but came up with nothing but a black shirt and strange orange tights._ I'd trade my spare blankets for you any day, haha!_ Lucas couldn't help but agree whole-heartedly.

_Yeah, but it's all true! Right? I was expecting pink and maybe gray, but whatever. I'll probably explore it one day, but it's not on top of my to-do list. When I do, I'll get you a souvenir, alright?_

_Haha. I'm just glad nothing crazy has happened in my absence. Yep, I bet everyone at the shop is barely able to function without my presence, haha. _Cue another eye roll. _Thanks for telling them, man. I really wish I could've visited them before I left._

_I'm honestly relieved that you feel that way. I've been worried ever since I left, you know. Thanks for believing in me, man._ Lucas smiled again. _I'll make it up to you somehow. And don't you worry; I plan to visit as soon as possible._

_You don't have to force yourself to write! And my handwriting isn't that bad, you ass._ Lucas laughed out loud at this no matter how many times he read it. _Thanks for that; I'll do my best for you! Love you more than you know._ Lucas shook his head. Nope, it's me who loves you more than you know, he insisted.

_From Claus_

It was kind of short, but it was a reply, wasn't it? Lucas was just happy to hear from his Claus. He let himself fall onto his back, the letter resting on his stomach. The blonde smiled and simply hoped he'd get to see his brother again soon.

A knock on his door scared him out of his half-sleepy, half-happily dazed state, and he sat up hurriedly and whipped his head around to face the thing with caution. It could have been one of three people at that point: Jackie, to inform him of the continental breakfast's closing; Fuel, to check up on him and maybe offer an afternoon's company; or perhaps Ionia, also to check up on him or inquire about any new PSI techniques.

It ended up being the second of those three options. "Hey, Lucas! Open up and lemme see those sexy legs!"

Lucas laughed, getting up from where he sat on the bed to answer said door. "Good morning to you too, Fuel," he said when he opened it, revealing himself to the beaming brunette. "The neighbors are gonna get funny ideas if you keep talking like that."

"Oh, please. The only guy I'd go gay for is myself, and since that's impossible, I'm stuck being straight." He walked in nonchalantly, oblivious to Lucas' almost concerned stare. "But you look great!" He dropped into a crouch and patted Lucas' newly-repaired leg with a laugh. "Good as new, even!"

Lucas just shook his head, closing the door. "Thanks." He walked back over to when he'd laid the letter and folded it back up, intending to reply to it later. "Any reason you've come knocking at my door?"

Fuel put on a look of mock-hurt. "What, I have to have a reason to visit my best buddy in the world now?" He crossed his arms. "Excuse me for being a good person."

Lucas rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that morning. "Right. My bad."

The older boy came up behind him. "But seriously, I actually do have a reason to be here now. Any plans for tonight?"

Lucas thought for a moment. "Well, I was going to go help We—"

"I didn't think so," he interrupted, and Lucas deadpanned disapprovingly at him. "Good, because tonight you become a man."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me it isn't a blind date." Even if it was, he seriously doubted he'd lose his virginity; he wasn't exactly the most sought after guy in Tazmily. That and there was only one person he'd even consider taking or giving himself to.

Fuel laughed. "Nope, and that's definitely not what I meant by becoming a man, you gutter-minded buddy of mine."

"Oh." Lucas gave Fuel his undivided attention. "What'd you have in mind then?"

The brunette sauntered up to Lucas' side and hooked a chummy arm around his shoulders. "Luke, we're goin' to a DCMC concert."

The blonde looked down at his friend with a frown. "Are you serious?" he asked rather skeptically. "Those tickets are practically impossible to get your hands on. You'd have to have paid months in advance!"

Fuel just chuckled and patted Lucas' back. "Oh, but I just happen to be the luckiest guy in Tazmily! My dad was working on the mayor's house, and guess what? They had planned to go, but his wife got super sick and he didn't want to leave her and go alone or waste the tickets. So he gave 'em to my dad, and since Dad hates anything cool it means we _totally get to see the freakin' DCMC!_" He exhaled heavily, having gotten worked up over his story, and gave Lucas the biggest grin he'd ever seen. "Isn't that the best news ever? You can go ahead and hail me as the best friend you could ever have now."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "So you're taking advantage of someone's possibly life-threatening sickness?"

Fuel's face fell a bit before he frowned. "It's not like I _wanted_ her to get sick!" he retorted a little loudly. "We don't want to let those tickets go to waste, do we?"

Lucas couldn't help the grin his face broke into at his friend's reaction, and laughed, much to Fuel's temporary confusion. He knew that it'd always been Fuel's dream to attend a DCMC concert, and if he was honest with himself he would be pretty happy to see one too. "Of course not. I'd love to go with you. You're the best friend I could ever have."

At this Fuel's mood was more or less restored. He smiled once again. "Oh, I know." He then let Lucas go and grabbed the towel off his neck, playfully towel-whipping him a couple times.

Lucas recoiled and grabbed the towel back with a frown. "Hey! Easy, easy," he reprimanded. "I said I'd go. So when does it start?"

Fuel laughed. "Sorry; I'm just too damn excited! It starts at seven tonight, but we better get there by six at least to guarantee ourselves some good seats. So we should leave at five."

Lucas smiled. "You've got it all planned out, huh?"

"Of course!" The brunette then took it upon himself to lift Lucas' shirt and pull it nearly completely off his person.

Lucas sighed. "Fuel, what are you doing."

Fuel tugged harder, insisting that the blonde work with him. "You don't plan to go in this old thing, do you? I know for a fact you've got sexier clothes than this old thing," he criticized, poking at the plain, slightly faded grey shirt Lucas currently wore.

The younger of the two scoffed. "Well, sure, but who am I trying to impress?"

Fuel then met his eyes with what Lucas almost thought were real tears budding at their edges. "So just because I'm a friend, you don't feel like you need to be at least decent when you go out with me? To a freaking _DCMC concert_ of all things?" He turned his head away into the crook of his arm quite dramatically. "You're the worst."

Lucas tried and failed to stifle his laugh. "Don't get all emotional on me, now," he relented, shrugging out of his shirt accordingly. "Fine. You wanna play dress up? Let's play dress up."

Fuel's conniving grin made Lucas rethink his choice of words. "Well, won't this be fun~."

_-asdfjkl;-_

Two rather dapper young men emerged from Ed's diner, looking gorged; one was slow and lethargic while the other couldn't help but slow his usually speedy pace as well. People whom happened to be passing by gave them looks that ranged from outlandish to curious to even a bit scandalous. They hardly noticed; it was four fifty-five in the afternoon, and after having spent the day dressing and waiting excitedly, the two were more than ready to set off for Club Titboo, the establishment that housed the critically-acclaimed DCMC.

Lucas resisted the urge to burp with his fist, having never been one for such pig-like activities. He currently donned a nice long-sleeve button-up white shirt covered by a silky black vest, both of which were partially tucked into a pair of skin-tight jeans. "So, off to the cable car?" the blonde asked, his comfy old red Converse tapping the concrete lightly as they walked.

Fuel's brown hair was pulled to one side, making him look a bit formal. He wore a button-up black shirt and a slightly wrinkled pair of khakis, both of which he'd shamelessly borrowed from Lucas. The only things he wore that were genuinely his were the yellow Vans that rested on his feet. "Yep. I imagine there'll be a crowd, so getting there early would be a good idea. You have money for the train tickets, right?"

"Of course." Since Lucas knew he had more than enough money to sustain himself for a month (two or three, even), he'd volunteered to cover both their costs for the duration of the night. A flip through his wallet revealed four thousand DP—a respectable amount.

"Sweet. Let's get to it, then!"

By the time they'd made it to the train station, their collective mood had been restored to its former glory; Fuel could hardly keep still for five seconds, and Lucas was admittedly becoming impatient with the train's lack of arrival. They'd bought their tickets almost ten minutes prior. Where the _hell_ was that train?

An employee's voice, as if on cue, filled the air rather obnoxiously. "Our sincerest apologies. Due to the DCMC concert tonight, the train was filled to its maximum capacity. It should arrive back within the next ten minutes."

Fuel hopped up and down beside his blonde friend. "Thank god I thought it'd be a good idea to come early."

Lucas folded his arms across his chest. "Well, it looks like you weren't the only one," he remarked, referring to the crowd of other people who waited somewhat impatiently alongside them.

Fuel punched Lucas' left shoulder playfully. "Damn it, Lucas, be positive! I'm gonna ditch you if you plan on being a drag all night."

Lucas rubbed his shoulder in response, bestowing upon Fuel a look of disapproval. "What? I was just _saying_," he replied, shifting his gaze back to the train tracks. "I promise to behave, geez."

Fuel gave him a side-hug of sorts, grinning again. "That's more like it! All you're missing now is a smile."

Lucas merely rolled his eyes.

When the train did end up rolling back into the station (_fifteen_ minutes later), the duo was quite literally shoved on by the crowd, which had almost doubled during the wait. They managed to get a pair of window seats opposite each other, but they shared the row with two surprisingly older couples. The few snippets of conversation they did exchange was all but drowned out by their constant random chatter.

"Dude, don't they have an _age limit_ at Titiboo?" Fuel asked all too seriously when they scrambled off the train and went to follow the mass of people over to where the cable car station was located.

Lucas chuckled but shrugged his shoulders. "Probably not, but I do know they've got a minimum age."

Fuel nodded. "Yep. If anyone asks, you're sixteen."

Lucas started. "Wait, what? I thought it was fifteen!"

The brunette laughed. "You thought wrong, buddy, but don't worry; you look like you're sixteen. Kinda."

Lucas decided he'd humor Fuel. "Okay, okay, what exactly about me seems younger than sixteen?"

There was a long period of semi-silence (what with the surrounding crowd) during which Fuel simply stared Lucas down. "It's your eyes, I guess. No, your whole face. You look young. Baby face." He merely laughed at the half-pout, half-frown that followed.

The cable car could only take about fifteen people up at once, they soon realized as the crowd only became bigger. People in blue suits guided the multitude of bodies into a coherent line, counting out every fifteen people before hand and grouping them accordingly. Incidentally, Lucas had been fifteenth and Fuel the first of the next group, but managed to get a single man to cut ahead of them to fix that problem. And being squashed into each other by others whom apparently had no concept of personal space when they finally managed to board the car wasn't all that pleasant.

"They can't make any _more_ of those?" Lucas gasped, inhaling the cooler air as fast as possible once they'd successfully disembarked at the top of the plateau. "You'd think they'd make more of those."

Fuel all but ignored him, instead staring at his watch. "God, it's already six ten! _C'mon_, Luke, we gotta hurry!" he exclaimed, taking hold of the blonde's hand and sprinting ahead of the others around them.

The bridge they had to cross on the way unnerved Lucas a bit. "Why didn't they put the cable car station over here, where the club actually is?" he continued to question aloud.

Fuel looked back at him with an eyebrow raised. "What are you, an architect? Maybe the lines get that long sometimes. And speaking of lines," he turned back around, and the two barely managed to stop and avoid colliding into the couple that bookended the line in time. The club itself was large and spectacularly lit up with various neon colors, but the entrance was still a good thirty-five meters away. Fuel and Lucas groaned simultaneously; so much waiting! But such was to be expected of a DCMC concert.

Eventually, at six forty-two (Fuel so generously provided), it was their turn to be inspected posthaste by the two bouncers whom guarded the doorway. They were intimidating, to be sure; one was tall and had no hair to speak of, while the other was shorter but much thicker, and had so much hair Lucas could barely see his face. They hadn't made any sort of move to block anyone else from entering upon show of their tickets, so the two held up their tickets and continued to walk into the establishment.

A hairy arm blocked Lucas' entry, however. Ramming into it unceremoniously, the blonde scrambled back and looked up at the hairy one with questioning and somewhat anxious eyes. The man grunted. "You," he said. "How old are you?"

Lucas didn't hesitate. "Sixteen," he replied, in a tone that suggested that this was trivial.

"Really. What year were you born in?"

"Fifty-one."

"Month?"

"June."

"Day?"

Fuel groaned beside them. "Really? He's sixteen, sir. The show's gonna start soon!"

He gave Fuel a warning look. "Don't push it." He sniffed the air a bit. "No matter how I cut it, you seem underage."

Lucas put on a knowing look. "I get that a lot, sir," he agreed, trying to make himself sound older to no avail, "but I assure you I'm old enough. I have a ticket and everything."

One of the women behind them spoke her mind as well. "Honestly, just let them in! He looks plenty old enough to me!" Murmurs of agreement could be heard in the background.

The man scowled but gave in. "Oh, alright then. My apologies, sir," he grumbled, pulling his arm back to his side.

Lucas just gave him a forgiving smile before he all but shuffled by, Fuel barely able to contain his laughter until the two took enough steps into the room to be out of earshot. "Dude, that was _great!_ I thought you might look like a deer in headlights if someone questioned you, but you played it off damn well."

Lucas let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Yeah, well, that nearly scared the crap out of me." He chanced a look back at the door, where the line was advancing much more smoothly. "What would I have done if they hadn't let me in?"

"Doesn't matter; we're in now!" Fuel countered, and Lucas had to admit that he had a point. "Now, let's get something to eat—all that waiting around has me feeling snackish."

Looking around, Lucas realized that they were standing in a room buzzing with people, all holding either drinks and food or money to buy said refreshments. The lines moved quickly, though, so Fuel hopped into the shortest of the five and motioned for Lucas to join him. Tearing his eyes away from the neon display of the DCMC logo, he did just that. "Fuel, you're a bottomless pit," he pointed out playfully, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

"I said snackish, didn't I? And we're probably gonna get thirsty during the show." He cleared his throat as they came up to the young woman working the counter.

She greeted them genially. "Hey, welcome to Club Titiboo! What can I get for you, sirs?"

Fuel smiled at her. "Well, I'm gonna have a bag of pork chips." He then looked back at his companion. "Lucas?"

The blonde looked at the menu above her head for a moment. "Uh, I'll have the same. And a Big City Cola."

Fuel turned back to her. "Make that two."

She nodded. "Yessir! So that's two bags of pork chips and two Big City Colas?"

"Yep."

"That'll be one hundred twenty DP," she said, placing two bag on the counter as she did so.

Lucas handed her the appropriate amount of bills. She gave him his change—eighty DP—before getting their colas ready. Once done, she handed them off, motioning to the straws in a bin beside her. "And there you go! Have a great time!"

Fuel returned her smile. "Thanks."

As they strode over to the door flanked by pretty purple-haired waitresses, Lucas couldn't help but be reminded of the Magypsies. "We're completely and utterly ready to do this," Fuel noted, giving Lucas a sideways look. "Shall we?"

Lucas grinned. "Let's."

Upon entry, the two stopped dead in their tracks. The room was immense; the biggest either had ever seen. Three rows of seats lined the room's front, and behind them were a plethora of round tables surrounded by three or four chairs each. The stage itself was blocked at the moment by a large red curtain, with a projected image of the DCMC logo lighting it up. Various colored bulbs and strobe lights lined the walls, though they were dim enough to keep a chill atmosphere about the place. The simple version of a familiar DCMC song played in the background, but it could barely be heard over the chatter of all those already seated and awaiting the show—the room was three-fourths full, and steadily growing.

One of the waitresses tapped them each on the shoulder. "Hello? Earth to guys?"

They each snapped out of their mini-reverie, Fuel recomposing himself the fastest. "Ah, sorry!" he lamented rather sheepishly. "It's just amazing."

She giggled. "I assume it's your first time here?" Both Fuel and Lucas nodded. Giggling again, she grabbed a couple of bundles of stuff and gave one to each of them. "In that case, have some DCMC merch! Some people'd go crazy over this stuff," she winked and giggled once more. "Anyway, can I see your tickets?"

The two boys exchanged a look before Fuel shrugged, and they both obliged. "Sure."

She took them daintily and scanned them for something. Then she gasped. "Wow! You boys must have some serious DP for seats this good!" she giggled, pointing to the very front of the room. "Your seats are in the second row, numbers sixty-nine and seventy."

Fuel and Lucas looked at each other with wide eyes. They hadn't expected anywhere _near_ that kind of a deal. Then again, Fuel had managed to get the tickets of the Mayor himself. Either way, the brunette gave the woman a big bow, and Lucas quickly followed suit. "Sounds good! Thanks so much!"

During the trek towards their seats, Fuel nudged Lucas' arm and wiggled his eyebrows. "Dude, the ladies are totally checking us out!" he muttered, motioning over to where a group of three girls looked at them from a few tables away and chattered amongst themselves. "Me more than you, of course, but still! What was that about not having anyone to impress?"

Lucas wanted to roll his eyes, but he decided to play along. "You're completely right, Fuel. Hopefully one day I'll become as attractively stylish as you."

Fuel was hardly listening. "Maybe we can say hello on our way out, eh?" he chuckled, obviously happy to be garnering such attention. Lucas let him have his fun.

Scooting past various people whom gave them curious stares, they eventually made their way to their seats and sat down, Lucas in number sixty-nine and Fuel in number seventy. Putting their sodas in the cup holders and leaning back, the two gawked at how close they were. It was just a couple of seats and their respective heads between them and the stage. Fuel was currently fanboying to the extreme over his merch beside Lucas. "Oh my God, man, _look at this!_ Signed group picture, limited edition magazine, high-quality pennant...and is this a t-shirt?" He felt the red material a bit. "Sure as hell! Aww, this is freaking cool!"

Lucas took it upon himself to open up his chips. "It really is," he agreed. "So what time is it now?"

Fuel looked at his watch quickly, then did a double take. "Se—_seven!_ Dude, it's time to rock."

Fuel had just finished his sentence when the entire room went completely black. By instinct Lucas whipped his head around and gripped his arm rests tighter than necessary. "What the—?" he exclaimed, rather shocked, but he was cut off by a much louder voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the loudspeaker boomed, "please put your hands together for the one and only...DCMC!"

The roar that followed was earshattering; some people even jumped up out of their seats, they were so excited. Fuel and Lucas also contributed, yelling as loudly as they could, but it was impossible to discern one's voice from the crowd's collective cheers. The drumroll could only be heard after the noise began to die down a good twenty seconds later, and it was then that the red curtain was raised, followed by even more screaming. The four men on stage waved at the sea of fans, smiling all the while. The band's acclaimed leader, OJ, held his trusty saxophone close to his side. Behind him, Baccio twirled a drumstick in his free hand. To the right was Shimmy Zmizz, sitting in front of his electric piano. And on the left stood Magic, electric guitar hanging almost haphazardly from his shoulder. Fuel was extremely excited to see them so close up; hearing him wasn't possible, but Lucas could read his lips easily enough. "Baccio! OJ! Oh man, this is _too freakin' cool!_"

OJ had to physically motion for the crowd to calm themselves. "Tonda Gossa!" he said, his voice echoing overhead as a result of the microphone sitting in front of his face. "Welcome, my friends! I hope you're all having a wonderful night so far!" Cue more screaming. "To start things off, we're going to play a song that's a tribute to Tazmily's favorite leader. Girls and guys, 'King P's Theme!'"

The cheering that threatened to begin following OJ's oration was cut off by the almost jarring sound of Magic's guitar. His riff cut right through the cheers, penetrating every ear drum present and demanding that people shut up and listen. It was ominous and intimidating, it was blaringly loud, it was strangely forboding...and Lucas absolutely _loved_ it. He had heard bits and pieces of the band's songs before, but this was an entirely different experience.

Soon the other band member jumped in too, introducing their instruments at the same time for added effect. The crowd went wild, but it was no match for the music's volume; it rocked Lucas to his core and made his head pound, but he didn't really mind it all that much. The song itself had so much feeling, it spoke to him regardless of its lack of vocals. What it said...well, that wasn't quite so easy. It was clear it had meaning to the band's members as well―their expressions were all so real, so passionate, that one couldn't help but respect them as a whole. Though the crowd seemed to favor OJ and his smooth saxophone, Lucas couldn't help but feel a connection to Magic's guitar. He admired the emotion with which he strummed, and the sheer sound it contributed to the piece as a whole; minus Magic, the song would be much more approachable, softer and less potent. The blonde liked that edgier aspect, liked that it wasn't afraid to stand out.

It seemed like the song was over way too soon, but everyone could appreciate it all the same. The cheering was to be expected at that point, but Lucas couldn't prevent himself from standing up himself, causing as much of a ruckus as the next guy, and Fuel was right beside him doing the same.

"So I take it you all liked that one?" OJ observed with a chuckle, a bit out of breath. The crowd agreed with him whole-heartedly, to which he laughed. "We're glad! And to follow that one up, here's—!"

OJ's next words were undermined by the entire room going dark once again. "a little diddy we...uh, is this thing on?" he continued, though only those closest could really hear him; his microphone had apparently stopped working.

Lucas was grinning for he first few seconds―after all, the lights had gone off suddenly once before. What was the harm in them doing it a second time? But when the uncertain mutters and lack of OJ's voice began, the blonde began to doubt that this second blackout had been planned prior. "Lucas?" he heard Fuel say from his right. "What do you think's going on?"

Lucas shrugged, realizing that the neighboring brunette couldn't exactly see it in the dark. "I don't know. Maybe the power really went out?" It was rather unlikely, but a valid conclusion nonetheless.

The confusion continued for a good five minutes. People began getting frustrated, voicing their frustrations to a clueless OJ. "Sorry, folks, no idea what's going on backstage," he apologized. "Magic, think you could get back there and let us know what the dealio is—?"

The guitarist wouldn't get the chance to do so, though; just as the words left OJ's mouth, a single spotlight on the stage was turned on, and the sudden light had everyone blinking and adjusting their eyes for a few seconds, Lucas included. But when he managed to refocus, he saw a man standing where OJ should have been, in front of the mic. He was tall, young, though several years older than Lucas or Fuel, and was dressed casually. Smiling handsomely, he put his face to the microphone slowly. "Hello there, citizens of Tazmily. Terribly sorry to interrupt your evening like this, but I'm looking for someone." He paused here, running a hand through his shaggy black hair. "The one who can use love."

Instantly Lucas knew he was in deep shit.

The man's smile never left his face. "I know you know what I'm talking about, and I also know for a fact you're here; _very_ close, in fact." He inhaled deeply. "If your presence weren't so overpowering, I'd pick you out from the crowd right now. And I think you should know that I have accomplices in the crowd, who're quite...restless. Hand yourself over now, and no one gets hurt."

An older woman behind Lucas screamed part of thinking in his head. "It's―it's the Shinra'ta!'

Fuel summed up the other half quite nicely in an incredulous whisper. "Holy _shit_."

The man laughed. "What an excellent deduction! Yes, madam, and we won't hold back if you don't comply." Now his expression changed. "PK Love user, show yourself!"

Now the only thing that could be heard were people's fearful whispers. Lucas struggled to keep himself halfway calm and weigh his options. One, he could keep his mouth shut and watch as people were inevitably hurt. Two, he could give himself up and hopefully avoid the unneeded bloodshed. But this was the Shinra'ta he was dealing with; how could he know this man would keep his word? And Lucas could tell he was a PSI user by the way he had talked about 'sensing' him. He was extremely dangerous.

He was obviously getting impatient. "I guess if you'd really like to see your people be slaughtered, it could be arranged. Men, go ahead and—"

"_Wait_!" All heads, including the Shinra'ta leader's, swiveled to face the blonde boy who had leaped up out of his seat so suddenly. Being so close to the stage, he was illuminated enough to make out from the rest of the crowd. "It's me! I'm the one you're looking for."

The man looked taken aback for a moment before a conniving grin found its way to his lips and he chuckled. "Well, isn't this quite the interesting turn of events." He held out a hand. "Come here, then, boy."

Lucas swallowed audibly, the new silence that filled the room more unnerving than the frightened murmurs had been before. Fuel looked up at him with one of the most shocked expressions Lucas would ever see, but the boy shot him a warning look—'don't move, don't say anything, just let me be'—before locking eyes with he who stood on the stage. "You―you have to _promise __me_ that you won't hurt anyone else. You have to let everyone else go."

The blonde was a little confused when the man threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Hahah! You're awfully courageous. Do you really think you're in a position to bargain, kid?" He shook his head, clearly amused. "No matter. I _promise_ to let all these wonderful people go if you surrender yourself to us," he agreed, though his piercing brown eyes weren't very reassuring. The murmuring started back up once again somewhere behind them, but Lucas was unable to make out what was being said.

A man to Lucas' far left stood up suddenly, much to both their surprise. "What the hell makes you think we're gonna trust you, Shinra'ta scum?" he pointed out harshly. The murmurs grew louder. Before Lucas' inevitable captor could reply, a few more people decided to speak up from somewhere behind him.

"You think you can just push us around like that?"

"Psychotic bastards!"

"Leave the kid alone and pick on someone yer own size!"

Lucas kept his eyes on the stage, but felt very conflicted on the inside; he was rather proud that Tazmily wasn't going to go down without a fight, but that defiance could spell irrevocable death for who knew how many people present. There were women and people as young as himself here in the crowd... There was no way he could let them do that.

Before he could muster up some kind of reply, though, he and everyone else present were gawking at the chair that flew from the crowd to the stage, very narrowly missing the dark-haired man as he sidestepped only just in time. His expression went from thoroughly surprised to outraged, glaring at the audience openly. "Foolish swine...there really isn't any reasoning with such pathetic excuses for people." He waved a hand. "Kill them all."

And when the gunshots began, all hell broke loose.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Let's just pretend that Lucky is present and that the song sounds like it normally would, yes?**_

So, yeah. Guess what guys? 100K. We have successfully broken the one hundred thousand word barrier (technically the FFnet site-wide recount pushed it up to over 100K but whatever). _That's a lot of freaking words__**. I would like to thank you all very muchly for reading all those words. -bows deeply-**_

Anyway, here we have a cliffhanger. You're welcome! :D The next chapter will contain a scene that I know you all have been positively DYING to see, myself included. So hopefully I can get it out in less than a month. We shall see.

Leave a review! It can be as short or long or as incomprehensible as you'd like; it'll still mean a lot to me. C: Until next time!

_**つづく **__**(To be continued.)**_


	19. XIX Somber Reunion

_**A/N: Don't stop being awesome, you guys. I PK Love each of yahs. :'D So much so that I kept myself to a diligent schedule; the result lies before you! Hopefully you like it.**_

WARNINGS: OKAY SO if you just so happen to be reading this fic strictly for the plot and ABSOLUTELY CAN'T STAND the twincest, then this is your warning. There's nothing extreme, but it's there.

DISCLAIMER: HOW MANY GODDAMN TIMES MUST I SAY IT. No.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

Claus had had a feeling that something was awry the entire way back to the base.

It wasn't a for sure kind of thing, though. There was just a gnawing feeling in the back of his mind as the Squadron A truck bumped and bounced, speeding off towards the PAMH as quickly as its horsepower would allow. His soldiers chatted quietly amongst one another, mission for all intents and purposes complete. The redhead simply stared down at his helmet, into the empty spots where the eyes would normally be. Perhaps he was just tired.

His current second-in-command, Colonel Cornelius deFleur, held two bottles of water in his hands, and Claus noticed him hold one out to him. "Thirsty?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Not particularly."

deFleur sat down beside him with a small grunt, ignoring him. "You should drink anyway."

Claus turned to look at him, and when he was met with sternness he couldn't help but give the man a half-smile. "Alright, alright. Thank you." He took the offered bottle and shook his glove off before attempting to twist off its cap.

The white-clad man looked on as his superior did this. "You did pretty well, you know," he commented rather absently. "Commanding. And fighting, but I'm sure you knew that much already."

Claus' response was delayed by several seconds as he drained three-fourths of the bottle in one swig, but when he brought the water away from his lips he laughed calmly. "You think so? Thank you. I'm just...I'm glad no one died. At least, not, y'know, in our squad."

deFleur nodded his head in agreement. "Of course. That's all you can really hope for."

"Mm." But there was still something bugging the younger of the two. "But isn't it a little strange how easily we overtook them? I mean, once we finished off that...wave, I guess, that was it. Wouldn't they work a little harder to protect their base of operations?" It just didn't make much sense.

The man beside him wiped his forehead a bit. "I think they figured we'd be able to figure out that their base was underground, and that we wouldn't be stupid enough to try and attack it right then and there," he pointed out, uncapping his own water.

Claus thought about this for a moment before he simply shrugged. "If you say so." It sounded kind of weird, but maybe they valued the lives of their own men and thought about things rationally sometimes. And it wasn't as though the Pigmask Army disregarded Shinra'ta lives, but the bastards were out to _kill_; the natural thing to do was to protect themselves. They killed themselves off the majority of the time with their cyanide capsules anyway.

He gave the man another sideways glance to take note of his facial features for the first time. Without his mask on, deFleur could be seen as quite the manly man; bristly beard and mustache, square-jawed, slight wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, short brown hair. If there were any kind of set look for the commander of an army to have, Claus figured that something like deFleur's would be it. "You look much more like a commander than I do," he remarked, only half-jokingly.

The colonel stood up then, giving Claus his own rendition of a smile. "Don't tell me you're changing your mind about all this now," he chuckled, putting his free hand on his hip. "Besides, it isn't what's on the outside that makes you good. That's on the inside."

Claus looked down at his helmet once more. "You're right," he nodded, the ghost of a grin on his face. "I'll keep that in mind."

As he made to check up on a couple of injured troops still with them, the boy's smile faded away in favor of a slightly frustrated deadpan. He couldn't shake the feeling away.

Something was wrong.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Spending three hours in a van wasn't exactly the greatest reward for carrying out their operation. Although it was a pretty lax trip back, there was just no getting to sleep while riding around in such a crowded and constantly moving vehicle. So when Claus stepped out of the thing and onto the concrete back at base, he wanted nothing more than to go back to bed for a few hours, maybe just hit the hay right then and there, and try not to think about the something that was wrong.

After dismissing his troops, he went to do just that, but not before heading to grab something to eat. The last thing he wanted was to wake up starving to death. As a result, he found himself gravitating towards the elevators from the main floor, ready to grab the first food item he saw and scarf it down.

He wouldn't get the chance to do this, however; right when he went to push the button to summon an elevator up to his level, he heard the sound of someone's footsteps approaching him rather quickly. He turned his head slightly to see his co-commander Delaney practically jogging towards him, an intense look on her face. The nagging feeling in Claus' subconscious spiked._ Something's very, _very_ wrong._

"Claus," she stopped a couple of feet in front of him, her tone urgent. "Something's wrong."

"I thought as much," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just, what is it?" He braced himself, wondering just how bad this something was.

She was quiet for a moment. "Shinra'ta forces have attacked Tazmily."

Claus looked at her with a blank expression for a moment, letting her words sink in. "They attacked Tazmily..._again?_" His face paled. What reasoning could they _possibly_ have had for storming his home town yet again? He'd left. He'd gone. There was no point.

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, expression sorrowful. "Yes. The northeastern part, to be exact. Club Titiboo." She paused. "Most of Squadron B was dispatched to help clear the area out, Ike and Kumatora included. Fassad went as well. And there's rumor that they...attacked because there's a second PK Love user."

The masked boy took this in with wide eyes. "_Second_ PK Love user? I thought I was the Chosen One or whatever! How can there be tw..." he trailed off, anger temporarily subsiding as he realized with a jolt that he had a twin brother in Tazmily. He wasn't entirely sure, but... "Delaney," he started again, struggling to keep his voice level, "surely you don't think it could be my b-brother."

The look on her face was all the answer he needed.

There was a moment's silence in which neither said anything—what was there to say? I'm sorry?—before Claus was running in the direction Delaney had come from. The woman turned as he passed. "Claus! Where are you going?"

He did not slow down. "I have to make sure it isn't him, and if it is..." What then? What if it _was_ Lucas? "I just...I have to go!"

If she replied in any way, Claus was unable to hear it over the pounding of his head. _Please, Lucas, please let it not be you. You can't be involved in this. Please._

His feet were very noisy, clomping along on the floor like they did. Anyone who was unlucky enough to be traversing the hallway had maybe a second to react to their commander's presence before he was past them and still going strong. His helmet was against this, insisting with a pop-up prompt that he slow down lest he injure someone or even himself, but Claus minimized it immediately. He had much more trying things to think about at the moment.

He had to force himself to slow down enough so that he wouldn't collide with the front doors before they had a chance to automatically open and let him out. Ignoring the secretaries' gasps, he was out the door as soon as it'd widened enough for him to slide his way through. Quickly he asked his helmet how exactly to use the jet pack on his back. It displayed a list of thorough instructions, but Claus only took the time to read a few choice sentences. When calibrating the system, he went with the default settings. He knew Andonuts hadn't exactly given him permission to use it yet, but goddamn it all, this was an emergency. He counted down in his head before initializing the system―three, two, one,

Go.

He was unable to keep from screaming as his body was thrust upwards with a tremendous amount of force. Out of the pack sprang a pair of black mechanical wings, which Claus had learned were there to help steer by skimming through the instructions. There was a brief moment in which the redhead was disoriented to the extreme, spinning in unknown directions and frightfully unbalanced. But he managed to allow himself to fall a few feet, pulling up into a somewhat correctly-oriented hover and panting. Once he figured out where Tazmily was located in relation to the base, he leaned forward and increased his thrust capacity threefold.

Speeding above the landscape haphazardly, Claus realized that he was grateful for the helmet's presence. The air was whipping past his body alarmingly; his only patch of exposed skin, the right part of his face, felt it all too well. He discovered that he could easily change direction and altitude with a simple tilt left or down. The ground below and its contents blurred beneath him, like someone had spilled water on a painting. Clouds above him were tinted pink and orange by the setting sun in the distance. He was going fast..._very_ fast. The whole experience was exhilarating, but the boy hardly noticed―his priorities were elsewhere.

When he saw it, he was mentally floored. Past the trees and greenery of the surrounding areas was the dull gray of the bunch of plateaus a little ways north of Tazmily. The big, eccentric purple building was barely purple any longer―hell, half the walls were flat out _gone_. What was left was heavily charred and broken. He saw people, a lot of people, though from his distance he couldn't make out their condition. His eyebrows came together in anger. These were completely innocent people. He couldn't fathom how anyone could deem it okay to attack them.

He slowed as he got closer, managing to pull into an upright position again. Lowering himself to the ground was the hardest part, slowly decreasing his thrust level until his feet touched the ground. He hadn't noticed all the soldiers that had surrounded him as he'd begun to land until he reset his jet pack. Among those present was Fassad, whom gave him a half-stern look.

The commander was greeted none too genially. "Whom exactly gave you permission to leave base?"

Claus wasn't in the mood. "Myself," he answered simply, pushing past the awestruck pigmasks in favor of looking around a bit more. There were many more soldiers about the place, mostly herding the shaken and injured civilians to a single area where there appeared to be doctors and nurses tending to the wounded. And then there were those inside the building itself, sanctioned with the task of gathering up the lifeless bodies of both Tazmilians and Shinra'ta alike. He felt bile rising in his throat.

Turning towards his superior once more, he found the man regarding him with an almost tentative expression, as if trying to gauge his reaction. "I...I know he's here. Where?" It took every ounce of willpower to keep himself from hyperventilating. This was not the time to let his nerves get the best of him.

The mustachioed man kept his gaze for a moment before sighing, motioning with his head over towards the cliff a little ways away from them.

It took Claus all of about thirty steps to reach him. The blonde faced away from him and towards the forestry below, hair mussed and dirty, clothing ripped and bloody in multiple places, posture slumped and fists balled so tightly beside him his knuckles were white. The anger and frustration and fear he had felt thus far was overtaken by an intense spike of worry. Shrugging his jet pack off, he reached up to take his helmet off, setting it and his glove down beside him before taking a step forward. "...Lucas?"

His brother flinched at the sound of his voice, and slowly he turned around to face him. Claus was put off by his expression; the defeat, the guilt, the ire, all of it was evident in his darkened blue irises. The way the sun lit his face highlighted his frown, and he looked ready to collapse on the spot—the word 'tired' didn't even begin to describe it. He didn't react like Claus had expected him to; in fact, he barely reacted at all, at first. "Claus," he said simply, voice quiet. There was a pause during which Claus was unable to form any kind of response. "They came for me. And I..." he stopped, face suddenly contorting with what looked like remorse and frustration. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep them from hurting the crowd."

And somehow, Lucas was right in front of him a second later. "And _you_," he glared, actually glared, up at him, shoving a finger into his chest accusingly. "You have it too, you...you _ass_, and you didn't tell me. You just left." At this Claus froze. "The magypsies told me, and..." he trailed off, face slowly morphing into that of realization. He took a slow step back and looked at Claus fully now, taking in his appearance. The redhead wanted to be anywhere but there when Lucas' wide eyes stopped at his cannon arm, mouth hanging open slightly. "Your...your arm."

Claus, despite his inner despair, sported a half-smile. "Yeah. It's not very helpful, but it's better than nothing." Though he didn't blame Lucas for his reaction, it still hurt.

The blonde shook his head, meeting his brother's eyes again. "No, no no, that's not what I meant. It's just..." Gingerly he reached out to touch it, and though Claus had no way of feeling the contact, it still made him flinch. Lucas squeezed his eyes shut as his hand trailed down the cold metal. "They hurt you too, didn't they?"

Claus didn't respond right away. "They've hurt us all, Luke."

"Fuel and I, and now you..."

Claus' eyes widened. "Wait a second, _Fuel_ was here with you? He's...?"

Lucas' expression was pained. "He was one of the more severely hurt ones. He was unconscious the last I saw, and they already took him to the hospital. Broken ribs, second degree burns..." He shook his head, as if trying to rid his mind of the image.

Claus just closed his eyes. _Why_? Why Fuel? He had nothing to do with this; why did he have to get involved? It was the same with all those civilians. He suddenly had a strong urge to hurt any and all surviving Shinra'ta very, _very_ badly.

When arms encircled his middle, the taller twin hugged his ever-so-slightly shorter brother just as tightly, cannon arm resting across his back while his hand rest on the back of his blonde head. He shook beneath Claus' hold. _God_, how he had missed this. "I missed you," Lucas whispered, face caught in the fur lining Claus' black jacket.

The commander couldn't help but nuzzle his face into his brother's hair affectionately, though his face was neutral. "I missed you too."

The two stood like that for a minute, reveling in each other's rather sudden presence. It had been a long one and something months, to be sure. Claus was just happy that they could still hug, that at least this part of their relationship was intact. It was all he needed at the moment. His brother made a noise, catching his attention. "You must be burning up in this jacket," he observed, and Claus was both surprised and relieved at how nonchalant he was capable of being.

Lucas raised his head at Claus' chuckle, and saw that the boy's smile was now genuine. Small, but genuine. "It's definitely not as comfy as what you've got on," he replied, noting his twin's get-up was rather flattering, before putting a serious face back on. "But you're hurt. Have you been looked at by anyone?"

At this Lucas lowered his gaze and bit his lip, frown once more prominent on his features. "Well, no, but I don't need it. There are plenty of other people who deserve attention more. I...I would heal myself, but I can't." He smiled weakly, flexing a hand. "Out of energy."

Claus' eyes widened. "You can heal yourself?" he asked, suddenly intrigued. He wanted to know about everything that had happened while he was gone.

Lucas' smile fell. "Yeah. You can't?"

It was then that Claus remembered what exactly his brother had just gone through; he was obviously exhausted, eyes dull and seemingly unable to open wider than halfway. That and he still shook minutely. He decided that the questions could wait for a more opportune time. "No, but never mind that. Come with me." Letting his arms fall back to his sides, he bent to scoop up his things once more before motioning for the blonde to follow.

Fassad stood where he had before Claus has all but sprinted off, watching on as the last of the civilians were cared for. Ike and Kumatora flanked him, obviously unsettled by the entire situation. When the two approached, all three looked his way, though only Ike looked even remotely surprised by the commander's attendance. Kumatora was glancing back and forth between the two for whatever reason.

Claus nodded at everyone. "So, what happens now?" he queried. "And...do I even want to know how many fatalities there were?"

Ike sighed. "Well, those that are injured severely are being sent to the hospitals in Tazmily and Sierra Bay. Those that aren't will obviously be returning home. There's no way to downplay this incident, so the media's going to have a field day." He glanced over to the debris surrounding them, his expression turning grim. "Fifty-nine deaths total, though it's unclear how many Shinra'ta there are in that bunch."

Lucas inhaled sharply, earning himself sideways glances. "...I know at least one of them escaped," he said quietly, not meeting anyone's eyes. "The leader man. After we fought for a while, he ended up running, and I wanted to follow him, but I...I had to try to put the fire out. People were dying, I couldn't..."

Fassad nodded his head. "I understand, and I doubt it would have done any good had you ended up giving chase anyway." He looked at his watch, and then at the sky, which was quite dark by that time. "Well, it's getting late. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come back to the Tazmily headquarters with us, Mr. Lucas Itoi. We need to get the details and whatnot chronicled for future reference."

The blonde nodded his head just enough to be noticeable.

"And Claus," the man went on, looking at him. "You're to—"

"Sir, please." There was no way in _hell_ he was leaving his brother again. At least, not yet. "At least let me stay until you're done interrogating him."

Fassad managed a small smile. "Well, I was going to let you stay the night, but I guess if you're dead set on leaving so soon..."

There was no keeping the grateful little grin off his face. "Thank you, sir." When Claus got a look at Kumatora's semi-shocked expression, he raised an eyebrow and turned around, only to be just as dumbfounded. "I-_Ionia?_"

At this Lucas also turned around, and behind them was said magypsy, donning her trademark outfit plus a nice green scarf. She was wearing a bit more makeup than normal, and was breathing heavily as she slowed to a halt, having apparently jogged her way to them. "Oh goodness," she breathed, giving them all a wink. "It looks like everyone's all gathered here, hm~?"

Kumatora rushed to her. "Io? What are you _doing_ here?"

The genderless being giggled a bit. "I felt a disturbance in the air a bit ago, and I was worried for Lukeydear here," she explained, walking over to said boy. "And for good reason; look at what those brutes have done to you!" she tutted, waving a hand over his more severe-looking wounds. They all but disappeared, leaving conspicuous holes in his clothing where they once were. "You look absolutely exhausted, honey." She looked around her for what may have been the first time, taking in the destruction with somewhat of a poker face. "Busy protecting people, hm?"

While Lucas merely nodded, Fassad gave Ionia a knowing look. "Well, well," he said, hooking his hands together behind his back. "It's been awhile, Ionia."

The feminine entity giggled. "Likewise, Locria. Still rocking that modest look, as usual."

Claus blinked. "Wait, Locria?"

Kumatora gasped. "Now wait just a goddamn second," she shook her head and waved her hand. "Fassad's a _magypsy?_"

Now Ionia laughed out loud. "Of course! She―oh, I'm sorry, _he_ may not look like it, but he's one of the seven guardians of the Needles."

Kumatora just stood with an almost disbelieving look before turning on Fassad. "But I've never seen you use any kind of PSI before! And I can't sense you!"

Fassad gave her a noncommittal shrug. "I'm not wearing any makeup. That's what gives magypsies most of their power," he pointed out, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "I've never had a dire need to use any PSI in front of you, so naturally I haven't."

Kumatora and Claus were speechless. Ike looked unaffected, for the most part. "Interestingly enough, I'm not that surprised," was all he had to say on the mater.

"Anyway," the dark-haired magypsy spoke, keen on changing the subject. "Ike, have the rest of personnel follow us back to the base ASAP."

Ike didn't move. "Already taken care of," he assured his superior.

"Right." He turned to Ionia, who was currently trying to fix a despondent Lucas' hair for him. "Maybe we can catch up at a later date, but right now work beckons."

She pouted, but nodded. "You're right. The human's safety comes first. Kumatora, promise me you'll visit Aeo soon? She's getting a bit lonely, even with me around." She gave Lucas a fond peck on the forehead and waved to everyone else. "And I can leave with a clean conscious now that I see that Lukeydear's in safe hands. Take care of him!" She pointed at a certain redhead with a wink. "You especially~."

Claus nodded. "Leave him to me."

As she turned paper-thin and flew off (Claus had learned to not be surprised by anything magypsies did), Fassad took it upon himself to lead everyone in their makeshift party off towards the cable car station. As Claus gently nudged Lucas forward, Kumatora lagged behind with them. "So this is your brother, eh? You two sure are twins. If you had the same hair and eye color, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

Lucas turned to look at her, a half-hearted smile on his face. "Yeah. I'm Lucas, nice to meet you," he said politely; exhausted or not, he was a well-mannered individual.

Kumatora returned his expression. "Right back atcha. I'm Kumatora Osohe, Colonel of the Pigmask Army." After a moment's thought, she met Claus' gaze again. "You know, he's a hell of a lot more polite than you are."

Claus rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up."

Lucas managed a single chuckle before he gave up the attempt to look approachable and simply leaned on his brother, head on his shoulders and body partially slumped. Claus put his arm around him, supporting him wordlessly as the three walked on.

_-asdfjkl;-_

They currently sat in a small and sparsely-furnished room, which was inside the Tazmily Division Headquarters. Ike and Kumatora stood off to the side, while Fassad and a man in a blue pigmask uniform sat at a wooden table in the middle of the room, the captain poised with paper and pen in hand. Lucas sat opposite them, sitting up as straight as he possibly could. Claus stood beside him, though only because he'd promised he wouldn't interfere with anything Lucas said.

"Right, then," the man coughed a bit, licking the point of his ballpoint pen. "Please start by recalling the entire incident with as much detail as possible."

The boy nodded. "Yes, sir. Fuel and I were...well, uhm, _everyone_ was cheering and yelling for the DCMC, and as soon as everyone quieted down enough for OJ―the, uh, band's leader―to announce the next song, the whole room went black. We didn't think anything of it for the first few seconds, because it had happened when the show began, too."

There was a pause during which Lucas let the man catch up with everything he'd said. He eventually nodded. "Alright, continue."

"So we were all sitting there, confused, for a good...five or so minutes, when all of a sudden a single floodlight comes back on and there's a man, the Shinra'ta leader, standing there, looking out at us all."

He was stopped by Fassad. "Describe this man for us, if you would."

Lucas' eyebrows drew together as he fought to remember. "Right. He was tall, and looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties. It was weird, because he was wearing regular clothes that anyone else in the audience could have been wearing. And, uhm, dark hair and these...piercing brown eyes. Kind of a big nose, sunken cheeks."

Claus, who had up until this point been completely silent and still, started at this. His eyes darted from Lucas to Fassad, who had noticed and begrudgingly waved a hand at him. "Alright, Claus, what is it?"

"That's the guy from Getts," he stated through clenched teeth. "The bastard who took my arm."

Lucas' head whirled around to face him, cerulean eyes wide. "What? Really?"

The general just nodded his head in the affirmitave. "Yes, I was just drawing that conclusion myself. Anyway, Lucas, please," he motioned with his hands, "continue."

The boy looked disturbed, but cleared his throat and obeyed the man. "Right. He said hello, and told the crowd he was looking for someone...the one who could use love, or something. I...I hesitated, but when he threatened to hurt everyone, I jumped up and told him it was me." Claus' eyes narrowed. "He told me to get up there and surrender myself, and I agreed, but only if he'd promise he wouldn't hurt anyone else. Before I could get up there, though, some people in the crowd started talking back and yelling...and one guy even threw a chair. When that happened, the leader guy lost it and gave the order, and then...gunshots..."

Lucas was looking down at his lap, where his hands rest shakily on his thighs. The man was hastily scribbling, writing too fast to react to his recollection. Fassad's face was neutral, as was Claus'. Kumatora was the only one in the room other than the blonde who showed any discomfort on her features, Ike also able to keep his expression stoic.

And then he was continuing unbidden. "The only thing I could do was go after him; he was dangerous, having PSI and all. We went at it for bit, and he was...really strong. It was all I could do to just dodge his attacks. He would PK Shield anything I tried, but eventually I learned that my PK Love could shatter it and do a lot of damage too...so I did that. Too much, though. I got so tired...and then he used PK Fire when I used my last PK Love, and he ran. I...I didn't chase him. I couldn't. The fire spread, like you saw, and it took every ounce of my energy to PK Freeze it all out...that's when you guys got there."

The man had stopped writing long before Lucas was finished. Noticing this, the boy bowed his head in apology. "Oh, s-sorry."

"You're fine." Fassad stroked his mustache a bit. "Can you tell us about how many Shinra'ta were present? It doesn't have to be exact, just an estimate."

He shook his head, meeting the general's eyes. "I was preoccupied with the leader...I wasn't paying much attention."

Hmming, he nodded in response. "That's alright. Do you have everything you need?" he asked the man beside him, whom for the first time was looking a bit troubled.

Pushing some of his brown hair out of his face, he nodded, stacking and leveling his papers. "Yes, I believe so. Unless there's more you'd like to add?"

Lucas just shook his head.

"Right. I'll take this around tomorrow and see if we can't verify it with other witness testimonials." He stood up, as did Fassad. They shook hands. "And thank you, Mr. Itoi," he added, giving the boy a nod. Lucas returned it with as much of a smile as he could muster. "Have a good night, everyone."

Once he was gone, the room was silent for a good minute or so. Slowly everyone reconvened around the table. Kumatora sighed aloud when she realized no one else was going to speak up. "What a day."

Ike agreed whole-heartedly. "This can't go on," he pointed out rather unhelpfully. "We need to do something about them, preferably soon."

"Of course," Fassad concurred, putting his arms behind his back. "But that can wait until tomorrow, when everyone is well-rested and ready to think." Obviously he referred to Lucas, whom was still sitting down, and to a lesser extent the redhead standing beside him. The blonde's eyelids drooped, and one could tell he was fighting hard to keep himself awake. "Shall we meet here again tomorrow morning, at nine thirty? Lucas included."

Claus was a bit curious as to what exactly Fassad was planning, what with the 'Lucas included' comment, but was all for the act of leaving. "That sounds fine. But where are you guys going to stay?"

Kumatora pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "I'm going to go back to Aeo's. She'll probably want to see me."

"There are barracks here, I'll be fine," Ike assured him, crossing his arms.

"Oh. Well, if you're sure." The redhead patted his brother on the shoulder. "Ready to go, Luke?"

The younger twin blinked a few times before standing up himself, nodding. "Yeah, of course." He turned to the three that looked at him now, waving a bit. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. Good night."

Only two out of three smiled back, but they all echoed his words. "Good night."

Back out in the town, the two were assaulted by the night's thankfully cool breeze. Even such a simple task as walking was rendered sluggish by Lucas' lack of energy; he was once again using Claus as a human crutch, though the taller boy didn't mind it much. As they slowly made their way to the town's southern region, he rubbed the blonde's shoulder with his good arm and chuckling. "Hey, don't fall asleep yet. I don't know which room's yours."

Lucas raised an arm to point at a non-existent door. "Number eighteen."

"Oh, is that it? Then by all means, doze off on my shoulder."

The smallest of smiles appeared on his brother's face. "I missed that sarcasm."

Claus also smiled. "I'm sure you did."

The automatic doors that belonged to the Yado Inn slid open to allow the duo entry. Jackie wasn't at his usual post behind the front counter, but that was fine with Claus; the less time it took to get from here to Lucas' room, the better.

"Right," said boy directed him. "Ninth door on the left."

They stopped in front of it, and Lucas finally made an effort to leave Claus' side for a moment, to reach into one of his pocket and pull out his room key. Sliding it through the slot, he opened the door and staggered in, flumping down on him perfectly made bed with a long-withheld sigh.

Claus raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you going to take a shower first?"

Lucas' reply was muffled by the sheets his face was currently buried in. "No."

The redhead made a face, but honestly he couldn't blame his brother. Shedding his helmet, pack, jacket, boots and belt in a discreet corner, he also approached the bed; no use in taking a shower if one was to sleep with he who refused. Gently he nudged him off. "C'mon, you have to get under the covers. Plus you still have shoes on."

Though he definitely didn't want to, the blonde complied. He stood up as Claus drew the covers back, kicking his Converse off haphazardly. When he motioned for Lucas to go ahead and lay back down, though, his twin hesitated. "Claus," he said, his voice noticeably uncertain.

He blinked. Wasn't he about to fall over a minute ago? Nevertheless the commander stood up fully to give Lucas his undivided attention. "Hm?"

His brother's face was set. "I...I'm tired. But I want you to know that I love you."

Claus deadpanned for a moment, holding Lucas' gaze. "Well, I love you too."

Apparently though, that wasn't the right answer, as Lucas shook his head. "No, that's not what I...well, it is. I love you, but...augh." He just continued to shake his head and went to slide into bed. "Never mind."

It was then that the pieces began to click. Claus caught his twin's wrist, holding him in that awkward position of half-sitting down, half-standing up. "Wait." When Lucas looked back up at him, his cerulean eyes were almost shining, despite the darkness of the room. "I love you too. Really. Like...as a brother, but more than that." He paused, swallowing thickly. "Right?"

Lucas just stared. "Y-yeah. But you...really?"

Instead of answering verbally, Claus simply let Lucas go and walked over to the other side of the bed. Confused, Lucas finished his sliding underneath the sheets, watching carefully as his brother did the same beside him on the left. Once they were both nice and settled in, the twins faced each other, Claus calm and Lucas rather tentative despite himself. "Yes," he said finally. "For a while, admittedly."

Lucas nearly giggled after a nascent silence. "And here I thought I was the only one."

Claus sighed. "God, I feel like there's physical weight off my chest."

"Isn't that a good thing? And anyway, I wasn't kidding about being tired. I'd love to be all lovey-dovey or whatever it is that happens after heartfelt confessions, but I don't have the energy. So I guess this'll have to do." The blonde leaned in and pressed his lips to Claus', lightly and with feeling. It was short, but conveyed what it needed to; tired yet whole-hearted affection. "Good night."

Claus outright laughed, pulling Lucas close. "Of course. Sleep well, Luke."

The two were asleep within minutes, dreaming of nothing in particular.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Okay, that (the much-anticipated twincest fluff) is actually a bit softer than originally intended, but they're exhausted. LEAVE 'EM ALONE.**_

Yeah, I totally skimped out on Lucas' fight scene. You get the basic idea, but y'know. And Fassad is finally unveiled as Locria, the one magypsy who dislikes makeup! Heehee. There's also something I've noticed; Claus and Lucas are maturing! Though that's to be expected with what they're going through.

Anyhow. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. It's always super appreciated! Even little comments are welcome. C: And with that, I'll see you again with the next installment~.

_**つづく**_


	20. XX Insight

_**A/N: The day of the events of Installments Eighteen and Nineteen will eventually become known as Titiboo's Day, a pignational day dedicated to those lives lost to Shinra'ta terrorizers. Sadly akin to our own 9/11 (well, for us Americans, anyway).**_

Also I'm currently headdesking because I somehow lost one of my reference notes for this fic. -hangs head in shame-

Good god almighty, I'm terrible to you people. You'd think I'd update my most reviewed fic a bit more than I do...but alas. Thank you all, as always, for your support and critique. Even if I don't answer you directly, please know that I appreciate it! Now then, let's get to it.

_**WARNINGS**__**: Nothing much. Cursing, but with me as your author, you can pretty much count on that anyway. -trollface-**_

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: -insert some witty remark about OWNING NOTHING here-**_  
**  
—s—t—a—r—t—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

When Claus woke up, he was just as warm as he'd usually be in the morning, and it took him several seconds to figure out why this wasn't right.

Lifting himself from the warm cocoon he'd managed to wrap up in, the redhead noticed the absence of a particular blonde who'd most certainly been next to him the night before. Combined with the rush of yesterday's hectic events back to his conscious mind, his mood was already rather put off.

Though he was a bit concerned, Claus figured that Lucas was able to look after himself; the boy had proven that yesterday. So he slid out of bed and padded over to the bathroom, having a pretty good idea of where exactly the blonde had gone off to. And on the bathroom's door was a conveniently-placed sticky note that said the following:

_Couldn't sleep. Went to see Fuel at the hospital. Be back by nine. Love, Lucas._

Claus managed a half-smile, appreciating his twin's vastly superior handwriting in spite of the sudden flooding memories of the lamentable events that had occurred the day before. Just as he'd suspected.

Once he was decently clean (he had to wear his clothing from the prior day, of course), Claus went to put the rest of his gear on, pondering for a moment how exactly he was to exit the room without garnering attention. Sure, a quick glance at the clock revealed the time to be only seven forty-two, but there would still be Jackie to deal with. And then, what about those who happened to be out and about? Last night it had been dark enough to conceal his strange arm from any passerby, but the same could not be said for that morning, which was cloudy but still rather light.

It was obvious Lucas either expected him to stay until he returned or not wake up until later, judging by the wording of his little note. But Claus knew he had to leave and find something to eat; he hadn't eaten since dinner two days prior, and if he didn't get something in his system soon he knew he'd be unable to function. So with his things on his person (except the helmet, which he carried at his side) and mind steeled for whatever might happen, Claus exited the room nonchalantly.

Seeing no one, he continued on down the surprisingly plush hallway to the lobby, where he expected Jackie to be. He was rather relieved to find that he wasn't there. Though Claus would have liked to say hello, maybe chat about the goings on in Tazmily, his self-confidence was reduced to near zero by his cannon arm; it unnerved him, so of course others would be understandably wary. He wasn't fond of the thought of dealing with those potential reactions.

Not keen on waiting for him to come back, he stepped through the glass doors and across the threshold of the establishment without any glances back. He inhaled some of the remotely chilly air and took a moment to appreciate the weather. It was an oddly fitting way to follow up the day before. The streets were quite empty, so Claus had little trouble traversing the sidewalks as he saw fit, ultimately heading to Tazmily's northern section.

Now, he had a decision to make. He could either eat at Ed's and fill himself up with greasy delicacies or stop at his former place of employment and pick something up from there. Though he would have loved actual food, he would have felt bad about eating without Lucas (disregarding the fact that the blonde could just as well have eaten without him) and he wanted to do anything but sit down in a room full of eyes. Plus, if he wasn't mistaken, Nichol worked on Tuesdays. If anyone, he'd rather face one of his best friends. Perhaps he'd be accepting enough.

He found himself crossing the street appropriately and heading towards the shop without a second thought; it was almost second nature to him, still ingrained from those several weeks ago, before all this crazy nonsense had come about. Had it really been such a short period of time? He felt much older now than he had back then.

Looking in through the glass windows, he was both relieved and somewhat nervous to see a familiar brunette positioned behind his usual register, fiddling with its contents meticulously. Thus, Claus pushed the door open and walked inside with his best neutral mask in place. Turning down the second mini-aisle, he knew exactly what he was going for—a bag of bagels.

As he strode up to Nichol's counter to pay, the boy glanced up at him, only to perform a double take as he realized exactly who he'd seen. His chocolate eyes were locked with Claus' own for a moment before he made a ninety degree turn and walked away from him. The redhead followed him with his gaze as he stepped out from behind the row of registers and came back towards him, uniform and all. He found himself engulfed in the taller boy's bro-hug, the latter frowning all the while. "You are a piece of work," he said finally, his tone that of a disapproving father.

Claus managed a chuckle, patting Nichol's back with his hand. "Looks like somebody missed me."

The teen let go of Claus and put his hands on his hips, giving him a half-glare all the while. "You left without so much as a goddamn word. Do you know who had to cover for you until we found someone else?"

"By the angry manner in which you're speaking, I'm going to assume it was you." Nichol wasn't amused. "No, but seriously, I'm sorry." Claus gave him a bow of sincere apology. "Stuff came up."

Nichol snorted. "No shit, man. I've read the papers. You're a goddamn hero!" Claus wasn't sure whether it was jocular resentment that could be heard in his tone. "And look at that get-up. So fancy."

The redhead puffed his chest. "Indubitably."

Eyebrow raised, Nichol all but snatched the bag of bagels out of Claus' hand. "Mhmm. Two hundred DP, ass."

Relief flooded through him—same old Nichol, cannon arm or no—before Claus' innate knowledge set off an alarm in his brain. "Wait, two hundred? Bagels are usually three hundred."

Nichol was back behind the counter and scanning his goods. "Yeah, well, military personnel get a discount."

"Oh yeah."

So the commander flipped his wallet open (with minor difficulty) and paid the correct amount. Nichol stowed it away without meeting his gaze, handing him his product. As Claus went to leave after a somewhat apologetic pause, though, the brunette put a hand on his shoulder. "In all seriousness, though, I'm glad you're okay." He gave him a half-smile. "Come by again soon, alright?"

Claus smiled more genuinely in response than he had in a while. "Of course."

Before Claus had even crossed the street to double back for the hospital, he had an entire bagel down and was reaching for another. He knew he probably looked rather silly with his helmet in his hands and bag of bagels stuffed in the crevice of his right armpit, but he was hard-pressed to care. Once he neared the big white building, though, he stuffed the bag into his jacket; he doubted they'd let him in to see someone with food.

The redhead made it a point to pretend the white and sanitized walls weren't there. He'd come to hate this place over the course of his life; first his grandfather Alec, who'd succumbed to a stroke; then his parents, killed in a macabre accident; followed by Lucas, injured but thankfully alive; and now Fuel, whose condition was currently unknown. It was hard, seeing those close to you in anything less than perfect condition.

When he approached, the receptionist looked like she vaguely recognized him; from what, exactly, Claus wasn't sure. "Good morning, sir," she greeted happily enough. "What can I do for you?"

Claus smiled back. "Hello. I'm here to visit Fuel Mori. He was admitted yesterday."

She typed a few things into her computer. "Ah, yes. And how are you related to him?"

Claus' eyebrows came together. "I'm not. But," he added, coming up with something on the spot, "I'm here on behalf of the Pigmasks to see him." He reached into his pocket and fished out his military ID, holding it up as proof. As this was completely improvised, Claus could only hope this was an actual possibility and that she bought it (though he wasn't lying; he _was_ a commander).

Thankfully she just nodded. "Alrighty then. He's in room eleven, to your left. He already has a visitor, his cousin."

Claus was tempted to laugh, as the thought of Lucas lying so blatantly was hilarious, but just nodded his head in thanks. "Thank you, ma'am," he said before walking calmly down the hallway and towards the aforementioned door.

Upon entry, Claus was bombarded with the sight of a broken Fuel, tucked under the sheets of the hospital bed. Though he lacked the trademark blue hospital getup, the majority of his chest and right arm were wrapped neatly in bandages. Stuck in his arm was an IV, connected to a slowly-dripping bag of who knew what. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as he and Lucas exchanged calm words, the blonde sitting in a chair beside him. The two weren't whispering, but Claus was unable to hear them until he came closer.

"Fuel..." he began lamely, nearly flinching when both their gazes snapped to him. "Hey."

The brunette's eyes looked confused for a fraction of a second before they took on a warmer tone. "Claus," he greeted similarly, smiling in that way that made his eyes crinkle, voice uncharacteristically faint but otherwise familiar. "Look at you. Mister Army Man." He coughed and immediately winced at the movement caused. "What's up?"

Claus returned the expression as best he could. "Nothing much," he half-lied, figuring the last thing anyone wanted to talk about was the night before. "What about you?" he asked as he took a few steps forward, coming to stand beside his twin. "How're you holding up?"

His face fell a bit. "Oh, you know, hanging in there. The painkillers they give you here work wonders," he chuckled. "I'm not as bad off as I could've been, though."

Claus nodded along with his words, and the three sank into silence. It wasn't until a couple of moments later that the redhead remembered his rather uncomfortable jacket situation. Unzipping it momentarily, he revealed both his black undershirt and two-thirds full bag of bagels. "I brought bagels," he announced casually, pulling them out. "Either of you want one?"

Lucas had his head propped on an elbow that rest on Fuel's bed, and he gazed up at Claus with a raised eyebrow. "You realize they don't let people bring food in here, right?"

"That would be why they were in my jacket. Fuel, c'mon."

The eldest boy grinned. "I'd love one."

And so there was but a single bagel left unscathed as each of the trio munched on one. Surprisingly enough, it was bedridden Fuel whom finished first, with a not-so-famished Lucas not far behind him. Claus chuckled as he continued to nibble. "You shouldn't eat so fast; you'll cramp up."

Fuel also laughed. "Even if I did, I doubt I'd feel it."

Lucas went to stand up. "Did you wanna sit down?"

Claus shrugged. "Not particularly, but we can compromise if you sit on my lap."

Lucas frowned. "I'd squash you."

"I don't mind."

Thus the aforementioned scenario became a reality as Lucas purposely flopped down on his twin's thighs, eliciting a sharp grunt. Fuel was laughing and wincing when Claus retaliated with a quick, effective jab at Lucas' side. "Y'know, it's weird. One moment you guys seem like you've changed, and the next you're the same ol' Itoi twins." The two brothers looked at him curiously, and he shrugged. "It's just kinda funny, I guess."

Claus reclined a bit, unable to see Fuel through the striped shirt in front of him. "I certainly feel like I've changed, and a lot, too. I mean, it's to be expected." He poked Lucas again, this time a bit more gently. "A lot's happened."

He saw Lucas' vague nod. "Yeah. Good and bad."

Fuel hmm'd. "But mostly bad."

At this, Claus gripped the chair's arm firmly. He was absolutely right. What was the last good thing that had happened to them, or anyone in Tazmily or the entirety of the Nowhere Islands recently (Lucas'...confession of sorts notwithstanding)? He couldn't recall a single thing. And most all of that negativity could be attributed to one group of people. It pained him that they were, as of that moment, unable to do anything.

"We're trying," he muttered at length.

He felt a hand on his. "No one blames you guys," Lucas lightly pointed out.

Fuel slowly lowered himself back into the sheets. "It's no one's fault but theirs," he added absently, feeling little need to elaborate.

There was a thick silence in which they all did their collective best to banish unsavory thoughts from immediate consciousness. "Anyway," Fuel managed to cut through the lack of conversation, "you have...powers."

Claus started at this for a moment before he realized the brunette's statement was aimed at the blonde, who chuckled a bit nervously. "Yeah."

"That's...interesting."

"Mhmm."

The commander allowed a second to pass before he decided to speak up. "Well, he isn't the only one," he said rather ambiguously.

This didn't seem to confound the injured boy, and if he was at all surprised by the insinuation, he did a good job of masking it. "That's not surprising. I mean, it'd explain why you joined the military so suddenly."

The redhead couldn't help but take a bit of offense from his wording. "I'm not just a weapon," he retorted a bit harshly, withdrawing his cannon arm from where it lay casually on the chair's right arm.

Fuel shook his head gingerly. "That's not what I think," he amended. "'S what they think."

Claus wasn't sure whether he was talking about the Shinra'ta or the Pigmasks, and was taken aback when he realized it applied to both groups.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably on top of him. "It's not just offensive, you know. But, anyway, it doesn't matter."

Fuel opened an eye to look at him almost accusingly. "That's not what bothers me. I'm just annoyed that you didn't even tell me!"

Claus could imagine Lucas' indignant expression. "Tell you? What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, I can randomly freeze things.' Like you would have accepted it that easily!"

"You're my best friend! What do you think I woulda done?"

Claus cut Lucas off before he could argue any further. "No, I get that. The feeling that no one will understand. That's why I didn't tell you," he admitted, referring now to both other males present.

Fuel blinked at this. "Woah. That's kind of a big deal, though, don't you think?"

Claus rubbed at his temple. "I didn't know how to approach it at the time."

Lucas slid off his brother's lap here, and when he was faced fully for the first time that morning Claus saw the frown on his face in all its irritated glory. "It still bothers me, but I understand why you didn't say anything," he relented, frown softening.

Claus nodded. "I was trying to protect you. I didn't want anyone involved in this who didn't have to be," he reasoned, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.

"A lot of good that did," Fuel snorted, and Claus cast his eyes to the side.

Lucas sighed, crossing his arms. "I appreciate that, and I'm sure Fuel does too," he conceded, "but that's it, okay? No more secrets. Between any of us."

Claus eyed him warily. "...I don't know if I can promise you that," he finally responded, hanging his head for a moment. "But anything I'm physically able to tell you, I will." He glanced at Fuel. "Both of you."

The brunette grinned. "Guess that's good enough for now," he shrugged, winking.

As Claus returned the expression, his eyes wandered up to the clock that hung on the wall across from him and he was up on his feet a second later, helmet in his hands. "Shit. We're gonna be late."

Lucas looked confused for a moment before he remembered what exactly Claus was referring to. "Oh, right." He turned to the wounded boy. "Take care, Fuel."

Fuel raised a hand to wave, but voiced his question anyway. "Where're you two off to?"

Claus gritted his teeth. No lies. "Back to the Tazmily HQ. Fassad gave us orders to meet him there."

Fuel just nodded. "Well, have fun then."

Claus saluted him. "Will do. You get better soon, alright?"

"Oh, yessir."

Thirty seconds later, the two were pushing through the hospital's doors and walking towards the oddly purple building in the distance.

Claus looked around a bit. "Huh, looks like everyone's on the alert," he observed, watching as people made it a point to get to their destinations in a hurry.

Lucas glanced at him. "Makes sense, doesn't it?"

Claus nodded. "Sure. I was just saying." Lucas then frowned. Claus mirrored his expression. "...what?"

Opting to answer in actions rather than words, he walked around to Claus' left side before grabbing his hand. After a few seconds he blushed a bit and dropped it, looking up at the sky. "You know what, never mind."

The redhead threw his head back and laughed, appreciative of his brother's display of affection. "No, c'mon," he encouraged, taking it upon himself to reinitiate the contact. Instead of a simple grab, he intertwined their fingers, though it was a bit difficult with his glove. "See? That's how you do it."

Lucas sighed and looked back at him with a half-smile. "I wasn't sure if you'd go for something so silly."

"I go for you, don't I?"

"Ass."

Laughs. "But seriously," Claus cleared his throat, "when are we gonna tell Fuel?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow at him. "About what?"

"About our..." He gestured with his free appendage to their bodies. "...this."

Lucas blinked. "We don't."

Claus smirked. "'_No more secrets_,' he says."

Lucas huffed. "That's different. He'd definitely disown us as friends."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. Who wouldn't?"

The taller twin thought about this for a moment. "The Magypsies."

"Brilliant."

They were caught off-guard by Kumatora striding toward them, clothed in her old blue hoodie-dress and pink boots. Claus made no move to modify their positions, but Lucas withdrew his hand. "There you are," she spoke almost accusingly. "I was just going to find you two."

Claus gave her a skeptical look. "What do you mean? It's not even nine yet." He paused. "And why are you out of uniform?"

She gave him a once-over, like he was the one in the wrong. "It was dirty."

Claus just blinked. "Oh, if that's all." He then stepped past her, making his way toward the headquarters' entrance.

Having stepped through the automatic doors and over the threshold, he saluted the secretaries and passerby pigmasks as he headed deeper. He heard Lucas and Kumatora exchanging words behind him, but he wasn't too concerned with that at the moment; it was like a switch that had been activated the moment he'd entered—he was back in commander mode. They all trudged up the stairs until Lucas was panting and the roof was reached.

The blonde looked around. "Does he normally hold meetings on the roof?"

A deep chuckle resounded through the air, drawing the three's attention to the General that stood by next to an aerolimo. "Ones this urgent, yes," Fassad answered tersely, though he gave them a friendly wave. Ike stood quietly to his right.

While Lucas stammered into silence, Claus was asking questions. "So what exactly is this about? I mean, why did you ask Lucas to..."

He had realized the answer before the greasy-haired man went to answer. "Well, he can't stay in Tazmily, can he?"

Lucas seemed to have seen this coming. "Oh, I, uhm..." he trailed off, unsure of how exactly to address the man in front of him.

Claus had since recovered. "You have a point there," he conceded, "but he's not signing up for all this." He motioned to their surroundings. "He's not a weapon."

While Lucas looked at Claus with an almost concerned gaze, Fassad waved this off. "Of course not. The boy will be a simple refugee, nothing more."

The blonde's shoulders sagged. "But, my stuff..."

"...will be safe and sound here. Unless there are some things you'd like sent to you, which we can definitely do." Fassad then put his arms behind his back. "Nevertheless, it is essential that we return promptly. Last night's events are no laughing matter; retaliation is vital."

As everyone was ushered inside, Lucas was a bit confused. "Wait a minute, are we going to drive off the roof or something?"

Claus found it in him to smile at his brother's naïveté. "Yes, Luke. Nothing better to beat the Shinra'ta with than the threat of suicide."

Lucas' irritated reply was lost in the sound of the door slamming shut.

_-asdfjkl;-_

The younger twin was the first one out in New Pork, stumbling around with a hand over his stomach and mouth. "I...I think I might be sick," he managed, eyes unable to focus as he stood as still as he could.

Claus put a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, just breathe and swallow." That was easy for him to say, as he didn't get airsick.

Kumatora clapped him on the back. "No worries. I feel the same way, just not as bad," she empathized.

Ike and Fassad were just as unaffected as Claus. "It gets easier the more you do it," the black-haired man promised, before leading them back to the massive building that awaited them.

Lucas, whom had regained enough composure to walk, regarded his surroundings with a certain sense of awe. "It's so big...and you're right, everything here's purple," he noted, having been too nauseous on the aerolimo to notice as they'd approached.

The quintet caused somewhat of a ruckus upon entry, when all the secretaries and employees present saluted immediately, spouting polite greetings to each of them or all at once.

"Good morning, General Fassad, sir!"

"Welcome back, Lieutenant General Thompson, sir!"

"S-Sirs!"

It served to make Lucas feel more out of place than he already did, inferable from his sheepish expression as he trailed along beside Claus, taking in the building's interior quietly. It tempted the commander to take his hand once more, in an attempt to reassure him somewhat, but commanders didn't do such things.

Soon they were all huddled in front of the elevators. Claus was just about to explain what they were and how weird it felt to go down when there was a loud _DING_ and the doors opened to reveal a familiar brunette. Delaney blinked through her glasses, clipboard held to her chest per usual. "Oh, what good timing," she commented.

"Delaney," Fassad's voice was genial. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her middle finger. "Claus' hostage is regaining consciousness."

The redhead's attention snapped to her. "Has he said anything?" he asked urgently. This was serious business now.

Lucas looked from Colonel to Commander with wide eyes. "Hostage...?"

"No. Like I said, regaining. He should be coming around as we speak." She gave the blonde a glance. "I assume this is your brother?"

Claus nodded absently, mind focused elsewhere. "Lucas," said boy provided, giving her a small smile.

Kumatora's harsh voice interrupted their introductions. "Well then, let's go!" she exclaimed, fist in the air. "This is exactly what we need!"

"Of course," Fassad agreed. "But I must ask you to do me a favor, Delaney. Could you accompany Mr. Itoi here to, I don't know, his brother's room for now? Don't take this personally, Lucas."

Lucas held hands up. "Oh, no, I understand! It's fine," he agreed as he stepped tentatively into the elevator "It's something you have to do."

The man nodded. "Indeed."

Claus watched on as Delaney bowed and introduced herself. "Lucas. I'll be back soon as I can, okay?"

His brother gave him a quick nod, eyes never leaving Delaney for fear of being impolite. The doors soon closed, cutting them off completely.

As they walked back down the hallway, Fassad gave Kumatora a bit of a look. "You know, Miss Osohe, I'm not sure that this concerns you either."

She turned her head to give him an outraged look. "What do you mean? This is our first opportunity like this, isn't it?"

"Yes, but you're not one of the four squad leaders."

"But Fassad," she managed to whine in a tone that was more like a demand.

He _hmm_'d. "I suppose you can tag along, being a fellow PSI user that can sense auras."

Claus was the first one inside the clinic when they reached it. Scanning the room for the wispy white hair he'd grown accustomed to, he spotted Andonuts on the other side of the big main room next to a single occupied bed. The four approached him none too quietly.

They heard one of the other two people present before they saw her. "Would you just come the _hell_ around already?" Alexis bellowed, obviously unimpressed with the guy's current condition. "You've been moaning and shifting and groaning like a pansy for the last five minutes!" Jin looked pained by his proximity to the blonde, but said nothing, instead peering down through his glasses.

"Please refrain from yelling so loudly, Miss Armstrong," the doctor scolded calmly.

"Well, it looks like the gang's all here," Ike noted flatly.

The two leaders initially present only then noticed their company. "Well, welcome back, Itoi," Alexis acknowledged him first. "Did you pay your hometown a little visit last night?"

Claus was unsure of the statement's connotation. "As a matter of fact, I did," he replied, fairly sure she had already known this.

"Hmm. Seems Ike needed all the help he could get."

The addressed man growled. "It was an unprecedented attack."

As they all gathered around, the bedridden man in question managed to open his eyes only to squint at the brightness of the sterile white room. "Ugh...where...where am I?"

Abruptly dropping their bickering, Alexis smiled icily down at their captive. "Inside the Pork Army's Main Headquarters. If you tell us what we want to know, we won't hurt you." Everyone present could hear the unspoken 'much' in her tone.

Andonuts pushed his glasses up a bit. "Now, I think there's something you all should be aware of before you start interrogating," he spoke up, examining his clipboard. "While he was unconscious, I went ahead and did a brain scan of sorts, to examine the damage Claus may or may not have done with his blow to this man's head." Claus remembered that, which seemed so long ago, almost fondly. "When I did, I noticed that his brain looked...irregular. Some tiny parts of it were strangely inactive, and his hippocampus had been damaged. Taking all that into account, I came up with an admittedly rather absurd theory."

When he paused, Alexis huffed. "Don't keep us waiting. What's this theory?"

The bespectacled man cleared his throat. "He's been brainwashed," he explained simply.

They all merely stared at him. "You're right," Kumatora agreed, "that _is_ absurd."

Jin acted as a voice of reason. "Think about it for a second, would you?" he said almost accusingly. "It would definitely explain why so many people are willing to lay their very lives on the line, suicide included, for such a wild cause. It's akin to something like religion, which you're raised to believe in."

Claus heeded the man's words and pondered his point. "So that religion-filled childhood is like a long-term 'brainwashing' of sorts," he concluded, to which Jin merely nodded. "But this brainwashing must have taken place rather recently, and quickly..."

Kumatora gasped. "You don't suppose there's a type of PSI that can brainwash people...?"

Fassad's voice was grim. "There is indeed a technique, but it's rare even for us Magypsy to acquire it."

Alexis shook her head. "Son of a bitch."

Andonuts shrugged his shoulders. "Yes. And while I'm fairly sure this brainwashed state still remains, the injury to his hippocampus should allow us to ask him questions and have them answered more or less truthfully."

"Well, that's not a problem to begin with," Kumatora puffed out her chest as she jumped in. "I can see whether he's lying or not. Well, sort of. Like this." She eyed him. "Hey. What's your name?"

He yawned a bit, wincing at the pain this caused his head. "Fae."

She nodded. "That should be right."

Ike turned to the prisoner, Fae. "So then, you're part of the Shinra'ta, correct?"

As everyone's attention turned back to him, he thought about this seriously for a moment. "Yeah," he answered a few seconds later.

Alexis leaned in close. "Oh yeah? What's your significance to them?"

He blinked at her. "I'm a psychokinetic."

She seemed unimpressed, but continued. "Well, where's your base of operations?"

He had the gall to chuckle darkly at her. "You people already know that," was all he said in response. Her expression darkened to match.

Claus watched on in silence as Alexis went about reprimanding him for talking so pompously to someone who could literally kill him with a flick of her wrist, formulating his own question. "What's so appealing about it? The Shinra'ta cause, I mean."

Fae looked at him then, and his bandaged exterior combined with his shaggy brown hair reminded him of Fuel. "High Preistess Joire says you pigmasks are sick and twisted, utilizing evil technology. She knows the truth about your so called King."

Claus' eyes widened, and Fassad quickly cut in. "Your leader is blinded by her thirst for power. She knows nothing of our King."

"Your king has destroyed the land with his manmade machines and plans to continue under false pretenses of peace. Why else would he produce weapons in times of tranquility?"

"To protect us from crazies like you," Kumatora muttered. "He's telling the truth, though. This is what he thinks."

"What will you do then?" Jin spoke suddenly. "Both PK Love users are now on our side, and your entire plan revolved around pulling the Seven Needles and resetting the world. Now what shall you do? Surely your beloved Priestess has come up with a backup plan."

"It's High Priestess to you, swine," he spat. "Why would I tell you something like that?"

"So one exists," Jin concluded.

As Fae simply met his gaze evenly, Kumatora stared at him intently. Claus noticed this and realized what she was doing. "This plan B of yours can't be very effective, not compared to the needles."

Fae's eyes narrowed, but he continued to stay silent. It was then that Kumatora stepped back, eyes wide. "Oh my God," she breathed, like she was out of breath.

"What'd you see?" Claus asked earnestly.

"See?" Alexis questioned.

"I can look into the minds of other people, if they're PSI users, and see their immediate thoughts." She shivered. "And I saw a bomb. A huge, gigantic bomb."

By the way the man froze, they could tell she had hit the nail on the head. "Bomb?" Claus envisioned an extremely blown up version of the things he'd seen strapped to various pigmasks' belts.

She just nodded.

Fassad, however, had paled. "Oh dear..." he trailed off.

Alexis looked at him sharply. "What? What does that mean?"

"It's not just any bomb. It looked metallic, had strange symbols on it?"

Kumatora was surprised by his knowledge, but nodded anyway.

He closed his eyes. "Nuclear."

Andonuts was now in shock. "B-but how is that even possible? We're still in the alpha testing phase!"

Claus took all this in at once. "Hold on a second," he said. "If it's a bomb, they've got to launch it, and if they have to launch it, it can't be underground. Which means—"

"They're building it somewhere else!" Kumatora finished for him.

"Tanetane," Alexis cut in. "That's where it is. If you look at the history of skirmishes we've had with them, the only two places we've ever not battled are Peiipom and Tanetane. And since Peiipom is too close to Duckett to be safe, they'd pick Tanetane. It's the only territory we don't actively keep up with."

Kumatora bored into Fae. "That's right, isn't it?"

He did his damnedest to convince her otherwise, but Kumatora's ability rendered his efforts useless.

And suddenly Fae was all but forgotten as makeshift plans were being shot back and forth. "We go as soon as possible," Alexis said simply, like it was easy.

"No," Fassad shook his head. "I want Claus and Ike on this, but not so quickly. We have to plan it so as to not alert them of our suspicions. Come, walk with me. We need to formally discuss this. Thank you for your time, Fae, but we really must be going."

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**Do you even know how much sleep I lost last night trying to get this done in time. DO YOU EVEN. And it seems kind of lackluster and I get that but I feel like it should be 'cause the subject matter is so myehh and I'm just rambling so I'll stop. Make it up to you with the next chapter, expect it on or before 10.25.12.**_

_**But anyway SON OF A BITCH THEY'VE GOT A BOMB. That's no bueno. Shit's about to go down. Also Fuel gets a last name. And it's kinda funny, because 'mori' is Japanese for 'forest' and fire and forests don't get along especially in Mother 3— -shot-**_

So, guess what today (10.03.12) is? That's right, a Wednesday! But it's also Protector's second birthday/anniversary thing~ lol. Last year I thought eleven chapters was bad...TRY NINE. -super shot-

Anyways, stat log update (parenthesis denote last year's totals):

Reviews: (24) 75

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_**Whoopdee doo. Oh and if anyone'd like to try 'n make me a cover I'd love you forever, 'cause the one I made looks shitty.**_

_**Review? Point out the things I did crappy in this chapter? Please do. I'm all ears.**_

_**つづく**_


	21. XXI Upgrade

**_A/N: LOOK AT THE SPIFFY NEW COVER ART COURTESY OF RODCE ESPING INNIT FABULOUS?! Thank you so much~ C:_**

**_And also a big ol' thanks to those who've reviewed in the last year. Especially the guests that I can't PM back;;; lessthan3_**

**_There's no way to properly apologize for an eight—oh I'm sorry eleven—nope just kidding, /_**_TWELVE_**_/—NO HAHA _**FOUR-TEEN-GOSH-DANG**_ month wait. I can't do it. So I'm just gonna leave this here and hope people read it and enjoy it a little. I'm truly sorry. Really._**

**_silly cliché moments incoming i'm just saying i'm bad at fluff_**

**_WARNING: dat twincest (no, really.), etc etc._**

**_DISCLAIMER: GOD DAMNIT NO HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GONNA ASK._**

**―s―t―a―r―t―c―h―a―p―t―e―r―**

Claus yawned widely, as quietly as he could in an effort to keep from disturbing his twin.

The past few days had been a weird combination of a blur and a drag; blurry in that most of the goings-on meshed into one overall category—killing time—and dragging because of what exactly they were waiting for. Giving the Shinra'ta time to regroup was something no one wanted, but charging head on into unknown and heavily armed enemy territory wasn't exactly smart either. While the specifics regarding their upcoming mission were being debated and determined, they as a whole could do nothing but sit idly by and try to entertain themselves as best they could.

He lay there, staring up at the harsh metallic ceiling in the dim light of the room, thinking of nothing really in that still-mostly-asleep kind of way. All he knew in this moment was that he was warm and comfortable and laying beside Lucas. That was good enough for him; more than good enough, really. He glanced over at the clock by his side in his internal debate over whether or not to doze a bit more, and frowned at the time when it suggested that he rouse himself.

Quietly and carefully he slipped out of the bed and onto the cold floor, tiptoeing towards his dresser to clothe himself appropriately for the coming day in such a way that he appeared almost furtive. There wasn't anything terribly important or groundbreaking going on, but Doctor Andonuts had requested his presence in his lab late last night. For what, though, Claus wasn't aware of. He had already been checked upon three days prior.

Exiting the cramped bathroom a few minutes later, he happened upon his blonde brother sitting upright beneath the covers, rubbing his right eye with a single finger. He noticed Claus' presence and raised his other arm halfway. "Good morning."

"Morning." The commander made his way to Lucas' side of the bed, sitting on it with half his body hanging off so that his right foot still touched the floor. "How'd you sleep?"

He chuckled. "Better. I'm getting used to it." Lucas had never been one to have an issue with sleeping, but he tossed and turned at Claus' side here in his room. Claus had the suspicion that being underground had a profound effect on him, much more so than himself.

Claus smiled. "Well, that's good news. Maybe now I'll be able to sleep."

Lucas just snorted in response.

Lucas' belongings hadn't yet made it to the headquarters, so he took to wearing some of Claus' spare clothes. He pulled on a dark short-sleeve t-shirt and a pair of orange cargo pants to match his twin's, though he did so with his back turned. His own red shoes lay next to the bed, where he sat to put them on.

Claus hasn't moved, and now Lucas sat right next to him. He watched his fingers move swiftly whilst tying his shoelaces. "I'm sorry," he said suddenly.

Lucas' fingers hesitated noticeably, but his head didn't move. "For what?"

The redhead remained motionless as well. "For you being stuck here with me. It's been almost a week; you can't tell me you're not going crazy restless doing nothing."

Having tied his shoe completely, Lucas simply flopped his leg back down over the edge of the bed and stood up, expression unreadable due to the angle. "I won't say that it's been the best time of my life," he conceded, turning now towards the boy opposite him. "But it isn't your fault. I'm fine. I'm here with you, after all."

Claus couldn't help but grin at the slight color Lucas gained once he'd finished his sentence. "I'm glad you feel the same way, then," he replied, also standing. Their faces were mere inches apart.

Lucas took the chance and placed a small kiss on Claus' cheek. "If you weren't here I probably would have gone crazy by now."

"Then imagine how I must have felt!" Claus stepped forward into his own kiss, riskier in that he had gone for the mouth. Lucas' hands found their way to the chest of his jacket, and they lingered like that until Claus pulled away slowly, deliberately, his face oddly solemn. "I don't want to be away from you, Lucas. I want us to always be together."

The blonde stared right back into the green eyes that were locked on him, just feeling the sheer desperation evident in his everything before pulling him into a gentle yet firm embrace. "We will be. As much as we can help it."

And Claus had seen that answer coming. He knew better than most just how strange and revolting it was, the way he regarded his brother. He knew of few that would give him the time of day if it was commonly known. He also knew that Lucas knew this. The only way it could ever work would be if it was kept a secret to everyone, and that didn't even factor in the long-term. Deep down, Claus didn't think the situation was fair.

"I love you."

They both pulled away to look at one another curiously before bursting into gentle laughter; they'd said it simultaneously to each other. Then Claus' stomach growled, halting the redhead's laughter while amplifying his twin's.

"I suppose it's time we went to eat, huh," Lucas observed playfully when his bout had subsided, unwinding his arms from Claus' neck. "I could go for an omelet or two."

"Definitely." Claus went to slip on his boots. "Let's get going."

_-asdfjkl;-_

"Kuma, it's too early in the morning for this."

They were all situated fairly comfortably in the shared cafeteria for Squadrons A and B, munching on what remained of their breakfast. Lucas, Claus and Thomas sat on one side of the table the group occupied, doing their best not to laugh as Kumatora ignored Duster's previous comment in favor of leaning up against him even more, using his shoulder as a pillow. His expression was one of good-natured exasperation.

"It's never too early to cuddle."

Duster gave the three onlooking males a pleading look. "Help me out here, guys."

Thomas shrugged his shoulders innocently. "I dunno, Dust, she's got a point."

Lucas looked thoughtful. "You should consider yourself lucky."

The pinkette laughed. "See? They get it."

"It's weird, though," Claus added as an aside, head resting on his hand. "When you act like this, it's like you're not even Kumatora. More like a…Kumaneko."

At this Kumatora's eyes flashed wide. "Well excuse me for being able to show affection, you bastard." She sat up, and Duster looked almost disappointed. "You're just jealous of our relationship."

Claus had a witty comeback prepared for this kind of situation, but then he stopped for a second to think about what she had just said. Being able to show affection…in public. In that moment he realized that, yes, he _was_ jealous.

His pause left the the whole group, even Kumatora, a little taken aback. The redhead came back to reality to find four faces staring at him with varying degrees of worry, Lucas' most prominent. He shrugged. "I might be, a little."

Kumatora leaned in towards him, a serious look on her face. "Don't tell me you're in love with me."

Claus just stared at her for a few seconds before he burst into laughter. "Oh, please!" he heaved, barely able to restrain himself from another bout after seeing the pinkette's reaction to his response. "Don't get me wrong, you're a wonderful woman, but no. I am most definitely not in love with you."

"Duster, then!?"

He couldn't even bring himself to laugh at this one. "No, not with Duster either."

Thomas cleared his throat, and all eyes were upon him. "I think he's talking about the being-in-a-relationship thing as a whole."

Claus smiled at him; that, while it was not exactly the truth, was close enough. "That's right."

"Aww, there there now," Kumatora cooed mockingly, reaching an arm over to pat his head. "I'm sure that you'll find the right girl someday."

"It's not something you should be jealous of, really," Duster added, and Kumatora gave him a questioning look. "It's different for everyone. Maybe you've already met that person, and you don't know it yet."

The redhead risked a glance over at Lucas, who had been staying awfully quiet on the matter, and smiled a bit. "You might be right." The blonde couldn't keep from smiling back, and just that alone managed to influence his heart's beating.

Kumatora raised an eyebrow, having noticed this little exchanged, but decided against commenting on it directly, much to Claus' relief. "Anyway, if my displays of affection disgust you that much, I'll stop." She crossed her arms decidedly.

"No one said it bothered them," Claus rolled his eyes.

"Au contraire, mademoiselle," Thomas chuckled. "I think it's adorable."

She made a face. "That's even worse."

"Just because you can show others you care about Duster doesn't make you any less intimidating, Kumatora," Lucas pointed out, and everyone glanced at him. He shrunk back a bit at her intense gaze. "Just saying."

After a minute she pursed her lips. "I guess that's true. Thanks…I think." She turned to Claus now, her eyes accusatory. "Why can't you be more like him?"

"We already look the same, Kuma, what more do you want?"

"For you to not be an ass."

"Not happening."

The rest of them laughed. Somehow, even when they were shooting serious insults back and forth, Claus and Kumatora managed to make the situation feel lighthearted.

The redhead took the opportunity to glance up at the mess room's clock; it looked to be a quarter to ten. The doctor hadn't specified a time for him to come, but he usually went around this time anyway. He stood up, dusting his pants off before turning to Lucas. "I'm gonna go see Doc Andonuts. I'd take you with me, but I'm sure you'd rather laugh it up with these guys than watch me be stripped down and poked at."

Something about the way Lucas met his gaze told him that the blonde wouldn't actually mind all that much, but he nodded all the same. "Sure."

Kumatora yawned. "Don't you worry, we'll take good care of your precious little brother," she assured, in the most non-assuring way possible.

Claus shrugged as he turned around. "I'm not worried; he can take care of himself."

As he exited the cafeteria, he thought idly back to the time he'd first brought Lucas to this place, about a week ago. He'd taken the whole thing well, considering how sudden of a change it was; though he'd spent the majority of the first few days in the headquarters holed up in Claus' room—what with a significant lack of anything better to do—he was now fairly well acquainted with both the workings of the facility and his little group of friends. It relieved Claus that his brother seemed to be fine, for the most part.

Once he had ascended to the ground floor of the PAMHQ, Claus stepped off the lift only to run into a familiar face. "Ike," he greeted, rather surprised to see him. Though they had been seeing much of each other during the mini-meetings held between squadron leaders concerning future Shinra'ta plans, he seldom saw him out and about in the halls nowadays.

Ike looked up at him as if he hadn't noticed him before he'd said his name. "Oh, hello, Claus," he responded, his tone a bit less gruff than usual. He sounded distracted.

"Sorry if I was interrupting anything."

"Not your fault," he sighed. "Just a ridiculous amount of paperwork to fill out before noon. A few of my soldiers being switched around." Claus could understand his frustration, although the redhead usually asked politely for Delaney to help him out with any kind of bulk paperwork.

"Ah. Gross. Well, good luck with that." He continued on down the hall, the question of why exactly he was switching soldiers out of his squadron only coming to mind when he was out of earshot.

When he entered the doctor's domain, he heard a genial call from far enough away to echo throughout the sterile room. "Claus, my boy!" He turned to see the white-haired man sitting at his computer station; several towers of computing power sat buzzing and whirring as a single monitor displayed all sorts of information, most of it either medical or overly-complicated. "Good to see you. I trust you'll be quite happy with me when I'm done with you today!"

Claus gave him an almost worried smile; he wasn't usually this excited about…anything, really. To see him in such a good mood was both endearing and scary. "Is that so? I'm sure I'll love it, then."

"Oh, you will, boy, you will!" He stood up rather quickly considering his age before crossing the floor, to the door that held all sorts of contraptions and alpha-phase inventions behind it. "You get settled on the chair there and I'll be right back!"

The redhead took a deep breath before following his instructions, unzipping his jacket as he went. If the doctor needed to go through _the door_, this most likely had something to do with this cannon arm.

Andonuts came back to find Claus reclined on said chair, leaned back at the usual angle with jacket lying on his lap and right sleeve pushed up so that his metallic appendage was exposed. "How astute of you to assume that this concerns your cannon arm."

"It's the only thing you ever get worked up about when it comes to me, doc," Claus chuckled.

Whether he purposefully ignored this comment or he really was just that excited, Claus didn't know. Andonuts simply walked around to the other side of him, toting a portable anesthesia machine with him. "Now then, you know the drill by now."

"Yes, sir," Claus responded, holding his arm out. The man took it gingerly before taking up the needle attached to aforementioned machine and pricking him expertly. Claus didn't even wince; this was routine, for the most part. It would be a few minutes before he was to pass out entirely. "So, if I may ask…what exactly are you doing today?"

He smiled, so genuinely that Claus decided that it couldn't possibly be bad, at least not on purpose. "Trust me, my boy, I'm itching to tell you, but I think it will be a most wonderful surprise."

That only made Claus try to think of all the possible things this 'surprise' could be. Some kind of upgrade, it seemed like. Would it be lighter, easier to manage? Able to shoot some kind of finite ammo? That didn't seem much like an upgrade. Perhaps it'd been tweaked to use up less of his energy per shot and more efficient? But all those seemed like minor things in comparison to Andonuts' excitement.

He began to feel drowsy, more quickly than usual. Claus noticed that the doctor had gone to get a variety of tools while he'd been lost in thought. Various scalpels, a few drills, and a wrench lay on the tray, amongst other things. It would involve cutting skin? All of a sudden he felt a twinge of worry; this would probably take awhile…

"Please be careful, doctor," he yawned as he closed his eyes, consciousness fading.

_-asdfjkl;-_

_"…not right."_

_"…usting…sgusting…"_

_"Sick."_

_Fuel's back was to him. "If I had known, I'd have never called myself your best friend."_

_Nichol's expression was dark and his arms were crossed, regarding him with barely-repressed disgust. "To think someone like that was working alongside us…"_

_Catharine's face was in her hands, stray strands of hair falling over her like a curtain. "I can't believe that I ever thought you were cool!"_

_Duster and Thomas stood next to one another, but neither could meet his eyes. "What would your parents say?"_

_Kumatora was the only one to risk touching the boy, reaching out and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. "Is someone putting you up to this? You realize it's not okay, right?"_

_Claus didn't understand. How did this happen? Who had said anything about his love of Lucas? There were only two people who knew…_

_He felt a strong hand on his left shoulder. "Please tell me this is just a phase, son," an all too familiar voice grunted, disbelieving._

_Another hand on his right shoulder, this time soft and gentle. "If only we had been there for you," her sweet voice lamented, and the redhead could hear the tears in her words. "It wouldn't be this way."_

_He brought his hands into fists, squeezing so hard his knuckles drained of color. Red eyebrows furrowed together so closely they became one. What did they know? Not a thing. No one knew. How could they possibly understand how he felt? How could they just assume he had never considered the taboo before? Even his parents. Couldn't they just be happy with the fact that they both felt the same way?_

_So when Claus whirled around to face his mother and father, the words of liberation died in his throat as he saw not his parents but his twin._

_Lucas smiled weakly. "They're right, you know."_

_Claus took a hesitant step forward._

_The blonde took an equivalent step back. "It's not okay. You shouldn't feel this way about any boy, let alone me."_

_Claus' eyes widened. What was he talking about?_

_He laughed, rubbing his own arms as if he was nervous. "I thought maybe playing along would make you realize it, but all it's done is encourage you. Claus, I…I love you, but I don't want…the same things you want."_

_Claus began stepping backwards himself, slowly shaking his head. No. No. This was wrong. It had been a mutual understanding; they had both—_

_"Revolting."_

_"Claus, come to your senses!"_

_"Stop looking at him like that!"_

_Lucas was still smiling, even as he cried. "You scare me, Claus."_

_Claus' own eyes were stinging. No nonono no no. Had he really been so blind? Of course there was no way this could go on for any amount of time. Lucas had only been masquerading, too polite to tell him off. He was scum._

_"Please just stop."_

Claus' eyes flew open, and he was breathing heavily as he struggled to sit up, only to be stopped by the sharp pain felt upon trying to move his right arm. He hissed out loud.

"Claus?" The voice made him cringe. The commander whipped his head around to find the same Lucas that had just told him off now hovering over him protectively, eyes easily meeting his own. Claus became aware of the sweat he was covered in; so it had only been a dream.

"So he's finally awake, hm?" Another voice observed, from further away. Claus saw the white-haired man approaching out of the corner of his eyes. "I didn't think you'd be asleep for so long."

Uh oh. "Just how long was I out for?" the redhead asked, distinctly aware of his lack of breath. He needed to calm down.

Andonuts checked his wristwatch idly. "About twelve hours. I was done after two."

Claus breathed a quiet sigh of relief. That was better than solid days, unlike last time he'd been put forcefully to sleep. "That's not terrible."

Lucas brushed some hair out of his brother's eyes. "Anyway, are you alright? You woke up so suddenly."

A smile quickly found its way to Claus' mouth, although it wasn't quite genuine. "I'm fine. Just felt the pain."

Lucas' expression said that he didn't quite believe that, but Claus was more preoccupied with the outcome of his little operation. "That's right, my arm! What'd you do? It worked alright, didn't it?"

The doctor simply chuckled. "See for yourself."

Claus took the man up on his offer and peeked over his right shoulder.

His arm was pretty similar to how it was beforehand, metallic and cold. His skin was red and stitched along the seam where metal met flesh, but Claus couldn't have cared less about that.

What he was fixed on was the fact that his arm was no longer a cannon.

Instead it was a decent, life-sized metallic replica of a human hand. It was completely covered in metallic plating, so that things like joints and hard edges were smooth-looking and hand-like, at least in this default position. The wrist portion was noticeably thicker than the average human wrist would be, but other than that and the fact that it was made of metal, it looked for all the world like Claus finally had two hands once more.

"Holy shit," was all he could say.

"Indeed!" Andonuts laughed, having been waiting for an audible response. He walked over to the side opposite Lucas, where the hand lay. "I call it the Clausarm 2.0! It's a shame I wasn't able to fashion it out of polysynthetic materials, but if I had it wouldn't have the functionality it has now!" He sounded just as excited—if not more so—than Claus himself was. "Here, try moving it."

Claus obliged, wincing at the pain he felt lifting it up. Surprisingly enough, it felt lighter than before. He then willed the wrist to move. Slowly but surely it rotated in time with his actions. Even the fingers could flex and release fully, resulting in a range of motion that rivaled his real hand's. "Crazy…" he muttered, dumbfounded by how much of an upgrade this really was.

"Amazing," Lucas agreed, watching on as Claus experimented with his new hand.

"Oh, but you haven't even seen the best part yet!" Andonuts exclaimed almost mischievously. "Do you see the little red button near your elbow?"

Claus glanced down at the part of his forearm closest to his elbow. Sure enough, there was a tiny red button on the outside. "Yeah."

"Push it."

Claus couldn't deny that he was a bit nervous pushing a red button on a machine attached to his body, but he trusted the good doctor. So he reached over and pushed it in.

Immediately the hand portion of his arm retracted into itself, making a little whirring noise as it did so. Claus couldn't help the involuntary flinch that occurred. A multitude of clicks and clangs could be heard inside of it for several seconds before out came several rings of metal, one by one sliding past each other until coming to a stop in a steady pattern, forming into the familiar cannon he had known for so long. Claus raised the thing to his face, peering inside of it. "You've gotta be kidding me," he laughed, raising it skyward. "It's both. It's goddamn both at the same time!"

"I've been working on it for a while now," Andonuts gushed, quite pleased with the response he was getting. "You can switch between modes at any time, but the cannon will require a few minutes to re-synchronize with your PSI each time you change to it."

That was more than okay with the redhead. "That's all, huh? I feel almost overpowered with this thing," he chuckled, pushing the button once more. It switched back to hand mode more speedily than it had the other way.

"As they say, with great power comes great responsibility."

Lucas nodded his head in agreement, tossing his brother's jacket at him. "Here."

Claus sat up fully before sliding his arms into the thing, carefully tucking the sleeve in for his right arm. It still fit perfectly. "Thank you, doctor. This is amazing."

He smiled jollily. "As long as you put it to good use, my boy, consider the debt repaid. Now run along and eat supper before the cafeteria closes."

Claus started. "It's already that late?"

Lucas had already stood up from where he'd pulled a stool up to his side. "It's almost ten o'clock. This'll be the perfect way to take your new hand out for a test, so let's go!"

-asdfjkl;-

Claus went to stifle an oncoming belch, but it managed to find it's way out of his mouth anyway. Dinner had been delicious, better than it had been in a long time. Whether that had anything to do with the fact that he could once again multitask while eating was anyone's guess. They had eaten more or less alone, as only a precious few chose to wait to eat until the last possible moment. They now lay sprawled across Claus' bed, the redhead on his back and Lucas on his stomach reading a book.

"Yuck," Lucas grimaced, waving his hand in front of his face.

"'Scuse me."

They sat in silence for a little while longer. Claus went to adjust himself to lie more comfortably on his own stomach when his leg brushed against Lucas' shoulder. He froze for a moment, remembering with striking clarity the dream he'd had earlier. Though it was just a figment of his imagination, it worried him. What if it held some truth to it?

"…Lucas."

"Mm?"

"Remember earlier, when you asked me if I was okay?"

He heard Lucas shift, now paying much more attention. "Yeah. I recall you giving me a poor excuse."

He chuckled. "Right. Well, I wasn't lying. I'm okay, it's just…I had a dream."

"A dream about what?"

The boy thought for a moment about how to word this. "About our relationship, I guess you could say."

Lucas' voice was slightly concerned by this point. "Go on."

"Well…" he began, laying his head down on the covers. "A lot of the people we both know were saying things, like they knew what was going on and they were…not okay with it."

"…I see." He wasn't exactly surprised.

"And then you were there, and you were the same way."

Lucas was silent for a moment before he shifted again. Claus was sure he was sitting upright now. "What…do you mean?"

"You were saying things like 'they're right,' and 'I was only being polite but you took it too far…'" Claus trailed off, closing his eyes. "It worried me a bit, because what if that's true? You know that…you don't have to play along, right?"

And it scared Claus for a moment, because the blonde was quiet for a long time after that. So…it was just like that, huh?

He felt an arm around his neck as his twin's body _flump_'d down on the mattress next to him. "It's upsetting that you can't tell when I'm being genuine."

Claus laughed half-heartedly. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't second-guess things, but…it's hard."

Lucas _mm_'d in response. "And for the record," he added, "I'm jealous of them too."

It took Claus a moment to remember what exactly Lucas referred to. "Right? If it were up to me we would never not be holding hands."

They both chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, though," Claus corrected himself. "Even as screwed up it all seems right now…I wouldn't want either of us to change, y'know? This is fine. We're fine."

Lucas brought his face over to dig into his shoulder. "As long as we're together, we're fine."

**—e—n—d—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

**_A/N: WOW FUCK THAT WAS STUPID i basically just used an entire chapter to say two things: "the twins are gay for each other remember" and "claus gets a hand/cannon thing btw"_**

**_next chapter shit's gonna go _**_down_**_ though_**

**_Review if you wanna. If you don't, I understand. Thank you very much for reading, either way. Virtual hugs for everybody!_**

**_つづく_**


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